Will You Save Me?
by yodakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat
Summary: Years after a certain Teen Titan disappeared, another still hasn't gave up the search to find their lost friend. Is it too late? not too good at summaries but stories better c: robstar
1. Chapter 1

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

Her eyelids flew open to show dull, sad emerald eyes. She reached up to brush her red hair from her face. As she tried to sit up she felt a sharp pain coming from her stomach, causing a quiet whimper to escape her lips. She held on to her stomach as she looked around her small room. It was dark, and the walls were covered in plain gray wallpaper that had begun to peel. The ceiling was slanted and her uncomfortable, old bed was in the far right corner, right across from the door that was on the other side. There was a small, barred window that was above her bed that was covered by dark red dusty curtains. A small closet and bathroom stood side-by-side on the left side of the room. She huffed and forced herself to stand up. She stretched her arms and legs out, letting another whimper escape from her as her limbs started to ache. She began to drag herself over to the bathroom. As she walked in, she flipped on the light and looked in the mirror. There, her naked body stood there, bruised and bleeding. She twisted and turned her head to look at every part of herself. She turned on the sink and grabbed a small rag that was laying on the counter and began to soak it in the water that was pouring from the sink. She dabbed at her visible wounds to clean them up. She turned off the sink and set the rag back on the counter and began to walk back to the room. She looked up to a clock that was above the door. 5:34 a.m. She sighed in relief, knowing she had a good hour to get ready. As she made her way to the closet, she began to think of were she was before all of this. A small smile spread across her lips as she began to think of her old friends. Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg...and Robin. She remembered her last words she said to them. She was thankful that they were kind, she would have felt more miserable than she does now if her last words were not good. She chuckled at herself, always thinking of her friends before herself.. typical Starfire. She remembered that night very clearly, when the Titans had all gone to bed, Robin had stayed with Starfire in the living room to help her clean up the mess Beast Boy and Cyborg had made. She was so close to finally revealing her feelings that she had for him.. but a strange, bad feeling she was having kept her mouth quiet. She didn't want to find out if that strange feeling was about confessing her love for Robin or not. Another time she would try, maybe. But that time would never come. She snapped back to reality and peeked her head out of her closet to see it was 5:46 a.m. Still had time. She slipped on her everyday uniform. It was a plain grey dress that was short sleeved. The front was low cut, as well as the back that revealed her skin all the way down to her lower back. She wore black flats and a black choker necklace. Ever since she had not been with the Teen Titans her hair had grown a lot. Her bangs stayed the same but the rest of her hair waved down all the way to her butt. "_If I did not look so dead," _she thought to herself, _"I might be considered as they say on Earth, 'stunning'." _She did a little giggle. Surely she was at least allowed one compliment. She had been through so much, one little compliment wouldn't hurt.

She began to comb her hair quickly with her fingers and she made her way out the door into a narrow hallway. She found the stairs and made her way down them. She walked into the kitchen where she began to prepare breakfast._ "Surely, this is what they call a dream kitchen."_She sighed as she looked around at the marble counters and the mahogany cabinets. After about an hour she had made 3 sunny side up eggs with straight black coffee. Her cooking skills had improved a lot, if she didn't know how to cook.. they would **burn** her hands. She shuddered and grabbed her wrists, trying to conceal away the memories. She set up breakfast in the dining room that had at least 3 chandeliers hanging from it. She walked over to the corner of the dining room and waited patiently. After about 20 minutes, she could her stomping coming down from the stairs. She looked over to the kitchen to see him. Her **_master_**. He was tall, had dark brown eyes, and red-brown shaggy hair that fell loosely around his face. He had high cheek bones and thin lips. His skin was a pale color with a tint of red. If she didn't hate him so much, she might have thought of him as beautiful. He walked over to the table without saying a word and began to pull off his robe. Starfire ran over quickly to him and took it from his hands. He walked over to his chair and Starfire pulled it out for him. He stretched out causing his black muscle shirt to hike its way up his stomach. He snapped is fingers and Starfire pulled it down and scooted in his chair once he sat down. Starfire stepped away back to the corner. He looked down at his breakfast and began to scoff it down. Once he was done he beckoned Starfire over. She quickly walked over and let out a gasp as he grabbed her wrists. He laughed at her scared facial expression and pulled her down to his face. He put his mouth to her ear and whispered in a low, threatening voice, "**_My_**Starfire, we have a **very**, rich and famous guest visiting today. So make sure this whole god damn house is clean or I swear you wish you never woke up this morning." He pulled back and freed her left hand so he could stroke her face. She clenched her jaw as he stood up and began kissing her passionately on the lips. After about a minute he broke off and freed her other hand. As Starfire began to step back, he slapped her across the face. A red mark began to form on her left cheek. She grabbed the side of her face and wiped the tears that began to stream down her face. "Do I make myself clear?" He spat. Starfire looks down at her feet and said emotionless, "Yes, master Jay."

After about 3 hours of cleaning, Starfire began to make her way back to her room. She cleaned herself of any dirt with the wash cloth. She pulled on a drawer below the sink and grabbed a small bottle of orange cover-up. Her master gave this to her to hide the signs of abuse when guests were coming over. She remember him throwing it at her, then mocking her skin tone. She didn't mind though. She was use to such words being spat at her. She had been through the cycle of different abusive masters for the past 4 years. She has been sold as a sex slave and a maid most of the time. At first she fought back with all her might, but it never worked. Her power began to fail since her feelings were no longer happy. She didn't even dare to use her super-strength to escape, they would probably just kill her and cut her up into pieces to sell. Even though she would gladly accept death, she wishes for it to happen quickly and painlessly. But since she is here, it would be a **very**, **_very,_**painful and slow death. Her thoughts began to wander back to her friends. Were were they? Are they doing good? Are they all still together? She shook her head trying to dismiss the thoughts, but they kept coming back. She remembered sitting on her bed thinking abut Robin then the next thing she knew, a sharp pain came from her head and she was unconscious. She woke up in a small boxed room that had steel walls and floor. She tried busting out but it only made her tired and all her effort was being put to waste since it was not working. She remembered seeing Slade, he was the one who captured her. Imprisoned her. Put her through the worst pain she ever felt these past 4 years then she ever did when she was held being held by the Gordonians. He told her this was her life now, and flew her all the way out to Russia. The last words he said to her still hang in the air.. "I now have the teams greatest weakness, or should I say, more of _Robin's _greatest weakness. Too bad, you will never set eyes on your friends again and you shall rot in the hands of your new owners for the rest of your life. This is the end of Jump City, the Teen Titans, you.. but most importantly.. _**Robin**__._" he spat at her. He left Starfire screaming and crying at his words and laughed. She looked at him with pure hate. That was the last time she ever saw Slade.

It was now 3:00 p.m. Starfire waited silently by the front door to greet the guests. She was only aloud to say a few words to the guests, as long as they were about the need of her services. She jumped when she heard the door-bell ring. She quickly opened it and looked at the stranger with a smile. The guest was a young man with black flippy hair that framed around his eyes. His eyes.. were a beautiful dark blue that you could get lost in. He was very well-built and was dressed in black dress pants, black shoes and a white barley see-through long sleeve shirt that was buttoned up all the way. As Starfire took in his appearance she noticed that the guest was staring at her with shock. She began to bite her lip nervously and took a step back. After about an awkward moment of silence he spoke up. "This is 's home, right?" he said, the shocked facial expression never leaving his face. Starfire began to nod. "Yes, right this way." She stepped out-of-the-way and let him walk through. As she led him into the main living room where her master was waiting, she could feel his eyes scan her up and down. She did a little sigh and heard the guest stop. "What's your name?" He looked at her with his eyes wide open, they glistened with pain and sorrow. Something about him seemed very familiar to her.. "Master Ryan says it is not appropriate to have such conversation with a guest. I am sorry." She gave a sad smile. He smirked. "You talk very formal." he gave a light chuckle. Starfire wondered if she should take that as a compliment or not. Instead she just shrugged her shoulders giving him a smile and leading him back to where her master waited. As Mr. Ryan and the guest greeted each other, Mr. Ryan had ordered Starfire to bring them some beverages. As walked into the living room holding two wine glasses filled with white wine, the guest's eyes automatically flickered to her. She handed them her glasses and did a quick bow, heading back to the kitchen. As she made her way in she could hear the guest asking "The maid, may I ask a few questions about her?"

Around 9:00 p.m. after the guest left, Starfire had gone back to her room to clean herself up again. She heard Ryan stomping up the stairs and down the hallway leading to her room. He barged in and stared at her. She was sitting on her bed tending to her wounds and did a little jump when he came in. He pointed at her, "You." he said coldly. He gave her an evil smile. "Pack your bags, little whore, you got yourself a new owner. He'll be here 7:00 a.m. Sharp." She saw Ryan grab a giant waddle of cash from his pocket that she could only assume were in 100$. He walked over to her and slapped her across the face and dropped a burnt piece of toast that he grabbed from his pocket. "Eat up, slug." He laughed as he walked out of her room. She stared at the door, confused, then looked down at the bread. She ate the toast like a savaged monster. She had not eaten in days, it felt nice to finally have some food. She reached under her bed to grab a small plastic bag. She went to her closet and grabbed her belongings. The only thing that was actually hers was her tooth-brush, the dress, shoes and a small picture of her with the Teen Titans. She hid it so none of her masters would take it from her. It was the one thing she had left of her past, besides memories. She laid down on her bed thinking about the first time she met Robin..

Her eyes snapped open. She looked at the clock. 6:42 a.m. "Crap" she muttered to herself as she scrambled out of bed. She dusted herself off and ran to the bathroom. She feverishly began to comb her hair with her fingers and turned on the sink. She splashed her face in effort to calm herself down. She reached for the drawer below and grabbed out the orange cover up Ryan got for her. "Might be needing this," she laughed pitifully to herself. "Besides, Ryan shouldn't mind. How many orange skinned maids will he have?" She shut the drawer and rushed over to her bag. She looked at the clock. 6:49 a.m. She doubled checked to make sure she had everything as she walked towards the door. She gave a huff as she looked around the room. She smiled and walked out. That was the last time she ever had to see that room again. As she made her way downstairs, Ryan was waiting at the bottom for her. When she walked by, he grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her close to him. "Now listen here," he growled "You better be a good little bitch, if they have to send you back.. I swear you will not live another day." Starfire gulped as he began to kiss her neck. As he reached her cheek, the doorbell rang. He growled and released her. Starfire silently thanked X'Hal for the great timing. As she opened the door, fear began to take over her feelings. Who would this new master be? Someone wore than Ryan? She opened the door to find a white haired man dressed up in a black butler suit. He gave Starfire a polite smile. "Hello, I am Alfred. You must be Starfire. I'm sorry but master Wayne, nor master Grayson could be here today. They send their deepest apologies. I shall escort you to your knew home." _Home._ The Titan tower shot across her mind. Wait, master WAYNE? Master GRAYSON? Those were the two richest people she had ever heard of. She shook her head and then smiled at Alfred. She looked back at Ryan who was glaring at her. She did a bow and quickly said "It was a pleasure working with you, master Ryan." then shut the front door behind her. She followed Alfred over to a limo that was parked in front of the large house. As she walked over, _he _opened the car door for _her._ "My dearest apologies, but the ride there will be a few hours. Gotham is a distance from where we are." he gave her a nod and shut the car door. Once the car started, Starfire leaned her head against the window. She looked at all the blurred images racing by.. it reminded her what it was like to fly.

A light tap on her shoulder instantly woke her up. At first she thought it was Ryan, ready to punish her for something. But then she realized it was Alfred, who stood there holding the car door open for her. Starfire blushed from embarrassment from falling asleep in the car. She stepped out and gasped. They had pulled up to a giant mansion. Her lips mad a little 'o' face as she took in her surroundings. "It is glorious!" she exclaimed. She then shut her mouth and looked down on the ground, ready for punishment for speaking out of turn. Alfred put his hand on her shoulder. "Looks like you have some injuries, come on, let's get you cleaned up." He brought Starfire into the kitchen. There, he cleaned and put medicine on every mark her dress wasn't covering. She pulled her off down a large hall to a big bedroom. Starfire stepped in and gazed around. The wallpaper was beautiful red color with a king sized bed to match. There was also a large balcony next to a large marble bathroom. Across from that was a medium sized closet. As she looked around she noticed a dress on the bed. There, laid a black dress with black flats and pearls the color of emeralds. She looked to Alfred for answers. "Please.. I do not.. understand?" she said shyly. Alfred gave her a small smile. "Master Wayne and master Grayson will arrive in the next 20 minutes, best get cleaned up." Starfire looked at him confusingly "Am I not needed to do the cleaning?" Alfred shook his head. "I will be back to get you in 20 minutes." with that, he was gone. She looked around to find a clock. 8:00 p.m. Wow, long car ride. She looked back to the bed. She stared at the dress with wonder and she picked up everything off the bed and headed to the bathroom. As she put the dress on she realized it showed every sign that she had been abused. She sighed, the cover up would do no good since her wounds were already covered in medicine. She slipped on the flats and the pearl necklace. She stared at herself. Her dress was short sleeved and it ended where her old Teen Titan's uniform skirt did. The back of her dressed cut down to the lower half of her back, and it was cut at front to only reveal a little bit of cleavage. She was breath taking, ignoring that her hair was a knotted mess. She began to scan the bathroom, hoping to find a hairbrush. With a small laugh of triumphant she gave when she found the brush, she looked at herself again when she began to brush her hair. The emerald pearls brought out her eyes really well.. if only.. they didn't look so.._ dead._ She was instantly reminded of the guest she had the other day. One look in his eyes, and you could tell he's broken, so lost in depression and crazed but still they looked, _dead _as well. She never even got his name.. she wish she could tell him it was going to be alright.. she frowned pitifully as her mind wandered off. She was brought back to the real world as a knock was heard on her door. She opened it to where Alfred was standing. After a few compliments Alfred led her down the hall to where master Wayne and master Grayson waited, while discussing delicious home-made sauces to put on pasta.

As Starfire and Alfred walked into the main living room where Wayne and Grayson awaited, she saw one had there back turned to them as they sat in a chair and the other stood up to greet her. As he walked over he stuck out his hand. Starfire reached out and gave a quick polite shake. "Starfire, I have heard much about you. It's great to finally meet you. I'm Bruce Wayne." he said with a small smile. Starfire gave a small smile back. "Oh yes it is a pleasure to meet you as well master Wayne, your house is most glorious!" Bruce and Alfred gave a small laugh. "Starfire, you can just call me Bruce." Bruce chuckled. Starfire looked at him with disbelief. "Yes ma-I mean, Bruce." she giggled from embarrassment. Bruce turned around to the other figure sitting in the chair. "Richard, it would polite to come greet Starfire." he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Yeah, I'm coming." he replied. Starfire's heart stopped. The figure who rose was no other than the guest she had taken care of yesterday. He walked over and held out his hand. Starfire reached out to give a polite shake when she felt a buzz coming from her hand when they touched. Something about him was very familiar. She just couldn't figure out why and how. He smiled at her, his deep blue eyes looked into hers with a bit of a spark. "Richard and uh...y-you look.. stunning." he said shockingly, now noticing her appearance. Starfire blushed. "Thank you, it has been great to meet all of you." She said with a smile. She looked over and saw that Richard was staring at her like it was the first time seeing the sun in a long time. She gave him a curious look and Bruce cleared his throat. "So Starfire.. If you wouldn't mind, can you explain to us how it came for you to end up in the slave market?"


	2. Chapter 2

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

also thanks to the people who reviewed and to anyone who reviews. They mean a lot(: sorry for the short chapters. Haven't had much type to type. They'll get longer though.

Starfire gave a small sad smile to the three men staring at her. Alfred gave her a pat on the back while Bruce nodded his head in understatement. Richard sat on the couch, looking angry. He had his fists clenched and he looked like he was going to be sick. She had just got done explaining everything that had happened to her those past four years. She explained the emotional and physical abuse she was put through, and how she was trained to do what she was told to or every inch of her body was beaten. "And your last.. master, Ryan was it? What about him?" Bruce asked. Starfire shuddered. "I should not speak bad of the person who had taken care of me for so long-" she was interrupted with a loud angry scoff coming from Richard. Bruce glared at him then looked back at Starfire to continue. "But, since I have been brought here and have been requested to share my past.. I guess it is fine." she sighed and continued. "Ryan was always very angry.. I lived with him for 8 months. He was more physically abusive than emotionally.." Starfire bit her lip, not sure if she wanted to share the next few sentences or not. She looked up at Alfred who gave her a nod of approval. "W-well.. I was raped and beat every day, and was treated with mean words. I am use to this, so it did not as you say 'phase' me. But Alfred," she smiled at him, "Helped clean up my injuries and I give my thanks." Richard stood up quickly, staring at Starfire with a look she could not decipher. Bruce walked over to him and whispered something in his ear. Richard clenched his jaw then sped out of the room. Starfire's hands began to shake. She was nervous. Why was Richard so angry? Did she say something wrong? She looked up to Bruce who was standing right above her. "Sorry about that.. Richard has to take care of some things.. so, what was it like in the Teen Titans?" Starfire gasped. She didn't really have a secret identity, but it still surprised her for someone to live so far away from Jump to know who they are. "It was amazing. Since you know the Teen Titans, you should also know I am not from Earth. I was born on the planet Tamaran and was being held as a prize by the horrendous Gordonians. I escaped and came to the nearest planet.. Earth.." She smiled a bit, remembering that freedom she felt when she laid eyes on Earth. "The first person I met was Robin.." she gave a sad smile to Bruce who was looking at her. "He freed me from my cuffs and helped me defeat the Gordonians, along with Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy. Robin became my best friend and we spent a lot of time together. They all were the greatest friends anyone on Earth could ever have. But I have not seen or spoke to any of them in years. I have no idea what has happened or if they are still together." she frowned, hoping that they were all still together. "Well, I'm happy to tell you the Teen Titans are still together. The current members of the group are Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Jinx, and Bumble Bee." Bruce said. Starfire's heart dropped. Where was Robin? "That is glorious news to here that my friends are together, but.. what has happened to Robin?" she asked, fiddling her thumbs nervously. Bruce sighed. "His location remains unknown.. but.. Starfire, you won't have to worry about any abuse anymore. You are safe here, and you may stay as long as you want and leave when you please. Since it has been so long since you have seen the Titans, I set up a little arrangement." he nodded at Alfred who walked back down the hallway. "They will be joining us for Dinner in 4 days, and will be staying here for 3, they do not know you are here, so it will be a surprise." Starfire's mouth dropped open. She looked at him with shock as he gave her a pat on the shoulder and walked off. Starfire couldn't believe this was actually happening.

The next 3 days went by quickly. She spent most of her time helping Alfred, he insisted he didn't need any help but Starfire did anyways. She had gotten a long with the Butler quite well. Alfred reminded her of her kanorfka. Bruce was busy most the time, but she really enjoyed his company. They talked about random little things, she had gotten him to laugh a couple of times. She felt proud of herself since she learned from talk that Bruce did not laugh to often. Richard, however, was always staring at her. Whenever they were in the same room, he stared at her with this longing look. Starfire never questioned him about it. Starfire made her way up into her room and into the bathroom. She striped naked and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled. She was no longer bone showing skinny. She thanked X'Hal for finding the giant bottle of mustard in the fridge to put on her food. A few of her ribs show but she didn't mind it. She was allowed a lot of time outside in the Garden where she could soak up the sun. Almost all her wounds had healed, and only scars remained. Her orange skin almost had back its glow, and her hair seemed to have back its vibrant color from the old days. Her eyes, _still _looked dead. It annoyed her. She knew exactly what it would take for them to look fully a live again, but she knew it would never happen. She slipped on a silver night-gown and walked out of the bathroom. She looked at the clock. 9:45 p.m. Might as well see if Alfred needs any help before she goes to sleep. She slipped on fuzzy white slippers and began to make her way down the hall. She smiled nervously as she realized tomorrow she would be reunited with her friends.._ most _of her friends. Halfway down, Richard stepped out of his room and into the hall in front of her. He didn't seem to notice Starfire so she kept quiet. Something about him was **_very_**familiar. But the way he looked at her made Starfire nervous. She didn't know why, but she felt very open around him. When she was smiling, she turned to see Richard smiling too. Whenever she talked about her past, he would either look beyond angry or sad. She decided not to bring up anything from her past when he was around. She wish she could talk to him more.. all of a sudden Richard stopped. He turned around and looked at her with a little twinkle in his eyes. "The Teen Titans, huh? What was it like there?" he asked pouting out his bottom lip. Starfire stared at him with shock from his question. "It was wonderful, the Titans were the closest thing I ever had to family." she thought of Blackfire and frowned. She was not the best sister. Robin walked over to where Starfire was standing. "Have any best friends there?" he asked curiously. She looked down sadly. "My closest friend was Robin, he knew me better than anyone there. I cared about him very much." she smiled at Richard who was looking at her with sad eyes. "If you do not mind me asking," she said hesitantly, "I wish to ask why your eyes always look so sad." He looked down at the ground. "I lost my best friend, my everything, and all my other friends in the process. I crossed the line." He laughed lightly. "People said I had gone crazy and needed to be locked up somewhere. I got my revenge though.." he trailed off, leaving an evil smile on his lips. "It took almost every single friend I had to take me down. They didn't know what to do with me. I kept my real identity a secret, so the first thing they did was find that out and sent me back here, my old home. I've been here for the past 3 years. Bruce still doesn't think I'm healthy enough to leave." he shook his head. "My friends still check up on me every week, they say as soon as I'm stable then I can come back. But we all know it will be a while.." Starfire looked at him frowning. She felt terrible for him. She knew exactly how he felt. She put her hand on his shoulder. "May I ask what has happened to your friend, if that is okay?" she asked nervously. Richard looked up at her with a smile. "I was told my friend was dead, gone from me forever. I couldn't bear that thought, so I never believed it. I found I was right, that they were still alive. I'm waiting for the right time to show myself to them though." he shrugged. He was surprised when Starfire leaned in and gave him a big hug. He breathed in the scent of her. Her hair smelled like strawberries. He was tempted to run his fingers through her silky hair but before he could Starfire pulled away, looking at him in the eyes. "I am sorry for the pain you have been through these past few years. No one deserves to go through that. I know we are not close but I am always here if you need a friend." she smiled at him and walked off towards the kitchen. Richard looked after her, dazed by her beauty and by what just happened.

Starfire woke up with a start. She searched the room for the clock. 12:00 p.m. Alfred let her sleep in. She smiled. She was starting to love that butler. As she sat up, she realized an outfit was sitting at the end of her bed. She crawled over to the end. She opened her mouth in shock. In front of her was her neck and arm armor from her Teen Titans outfit. Next to that was a purple strapless dress that flowed beautifully down to the knees. There was a skinny silver belt that wrapped around the waist. Next to it were silver sandals that criss-crossed up to the knees.. She hung everything on her arm and walked towards the bathroom. As she slipped everything on she began to shake nervously. She hasn't seen her friends in years, what will it be like? What will they all say when she comes out unexpectedly? She looked into the mirror. She looked like a princess, of course she was, but she forgot about that title a long time ago. The silver armor and shoes complimented her skin, and the purple dress showed off her curves nicely. She looked like a goddess. As she looked up at the reflection to her eyes she grunted, frustrated. _"My eyes look so empty!"_ she thought annoyed to herself. She heard a knock on her door and walked out to answer it. She was surprised to see Richard standing there. When he saw her he took a step back with his jaw dropping. He was speechless. Starfire looked at him and nodded approvingly. He looked amazing. He was wearing black dress shoes with black dress pants and a gray short sleeve short that hugged him tight. It was buttoned down a bit, showing a bit of his chest. They were both brought back to reality when they realized they were both just standing there staring at each other. Starfire was the first to speak. "Please.. I look.. nice?" a giant blush covered Richard's face as he tried to find words. "Y-you look amazing. Breath taking." Starfire blushed and smiled. Richard smiled back nervously. "Alfred told me to tell you the guests will be here around 7 tonight.. I uh.. was wondering.. if you wanted to hangout before they arrive?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets and grinned at her. Starfire giggled and nodded. He looped his arm around hers and lead her around the house till they reached the garage. "Please, where are we going?" she asked suspiciously. Richard led her to a black Mercedes and held the passenger door open for her. He walked around to the other side and slipped in. He smiled at her while he started up the car. "Well.." he said, "I figured going to the movies would be fun." he began to drive forward out of the garage and into the street.

Robin and Starfire walked out of the theater laughing. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed so hard. They had watched about 3 movies and had an unlimited supply of snacks, thanks for Bruce Wayne being Richard's father. They had watched 1 romance movie, 1 action, and 1 comedy. As they walked out they joked about how great the comedy movie was. Richard's laughing, smiling face suddenly turned into a glare. She looked at him confused, then she realized he was staring at something behind her. She turned to see a group of tough looking teens no older than her eyeing her and whistling. Richard growled and grabbed Starfire's hand and dragged her towards the parking lot. She remembered Robin being protective over her like that, it was weird to see Richard acting the same way. They were so much alike. When they got to the car, she could see Richard had his jaw clenched as if he was trying to stop himself for saying something. She pouted out her lips in curiosity as she opened the car door and got in. She looked at him as he sat down. "Are you the okay?" she asked smiling. As soon as Richard turned to face her, his frowned instantly turned into a smile. "Yeah I'm fine, now.. One more stop. It's already 6:30. Don't want Alfred upset." As they drove Richard turned on the radio. The song 'Only Exception' by Paramore was playing. Starfire squealed. "I once had a master that would listen to the radio a lot," she said smiling, "this Earth tune played a lot and I enjoy humming to its melody." as she hummed a long, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Richard was smiling at her. "The Paramore makes great Earth tunes, do you agree?" she said turning to him. He nodded at her, still smiling. After about 5 minutes Richard parked the car in front of an old building that's labeled **CANDY SHOP. **She arched he raised her eyebrow questioningly as he told her to stay there. After about 10 minutes he came out holding a bag of cotton candy. Her eyes widened in surprise. He handed the bag to her and began to start the car, speeding off towards the house. "It's for you." he laughed. She opened the bag and picked up a piece. This reminded her so much of Robin. They were on the Ferris Wheel and she tried cotton candy for the first time with him. She sighed happily at the memories and began to eat the cotton candy that was in front of her. "Thank you, Richard. This means more than you know. Would you like to share the candy of cotton?" She held the bag out to him. He reached in and grabbed some. "Thanks" he replied and continued to drive. By the time they reached the house it was 6:55. Alfred scolded them for almost being late and rushed them inside. He told Starfire to wait upstairs while they greeted the guests and he would come retrieve her when it was time. She quickly hugged Richard and _floated _up the stairs. Her jaw dropped. She just _floated! _She landed her feet back on the ground and tried to fly again. To her disappointment it didn't work. She stood there pandering what just happened when she heard a knock on the door. She froze when she heard Alfred speak. "The Teen Titans, great to see you all again." she heard a loud voice boom back. Cyborg. "Yo! Alfred! Great to see ya!" she heard Beast Boy reply back as well "Hey dude! Where's Rich?" She heard foot steps as they all stepped in. She heard a snort. "This mansion seems to get bigger, great! More places to run!" she assumed that was Kid Flash. Then she heard Richard's voice. "Hey! Sorry, I was uh...busy." She heard Raven speak up. "You seem to be a lot better than we last saw you. Maybe even happy." She heard Beast Boy's voice rise in suspicion. "Ooh man! Come on! What is it that you aren't telling us?" She heard Richard laugh. "You'll see soon enough..."


	3. Chapter 3

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

Starfire leaned against the railing of the stairs. She had been waiting for Alfred to come get her for about 45 minutes. It was the perfect time to think over everything. It seemed like Richard and the Teen Titans knew each other well. "_They must have met and became all really close when I disappeared"_ she thought to herself. She sat there listening to their conversation until they had left the area. She began to tap her fingers on her knees. She didn't know what to say to them. She might even break down crying as soon as she sees them. Of course they will want to know _everything _that happened to her. She mentally began to prepare herself for the long night ahead when she saw Alfred coming up the stairs. "Everyone is in the dining room, they are about to make a toast. You may wait outside the dining room until you feel like you are ready to come in." She nodded at him and followed him downstairs. When they neared the dining room, she could her multiple conversations going on. They both stopped outside of the door that led into the dining room. Alfred smiled at Starfire and entered the dining room. "Hey Alfred! We waited to start the toast for you." she heard Bumble Bee say seriously. She heard Jinx speak up, "The usual?" Starfire waited silently for someone to respond. After about a minute she heard Bruce speak up "Yes.. the usual toast.." She heard someone scoot out of a chair and stand up. She smiled when she heard Cyborg's voice. "About 4 years ago we lost one of the most important people in _all _our lives," Cyborg took in a deep breath. "She was family to us, she brought smiles on all our faces, and was always there for us." she heard someone scoot out their chair. She was almost to tears when she heard Raven speak. "Without her these past few years, it feels as though something is missing, not a day passes by without thinking about her." Starfire bit her lip as she heard another chair scoot out. Beast Boy's voice sounded sad when he spoke. "She is missed more than she'll ever know, and if she could hear us, we all want her to know that she is loved and missed and would do anything to bring her back to us." Tears began to stream down Starfire's cheeks. Their words replayed over and over in her mind again. She cleared her mind as she heard another chair scoot. "She was everything to me, to us, our greatest-" Richard choked on his own words. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. "Our greatest friend.." With another deep breath he continued. "To _Starfire._" He said her name with such emotion it broke Starfire's heart. Then the truth started to sink into her brain. Richard.. was.. **_Robin!_**She had been with Robin this whole time! She tried to calm herself as tears began to spill all over her face. She heard everyone one by one say "To Starfire". She knew it was time to make an appearance. She took a deep breath as she walked into the dining room. There sat the unmasked heroes. Raven was dressed in a plain black strapless dress, her hair had grown longer and she had it pulled to one side. Next to her right was Beast Boy who seemed to look a lot older than he actually was, He was in a black and gray plaid button up shirt with black skinny jeans. Across from him was Cyborg who looked the same, and Bumble Bee who had on a black and yellow striped dress that was long sleeved. Jinx was in her usual attire as she sat next to Kid Flash who was dressed in a plain black button up shirt. He sat next to Robin who was dressed the same as he was earlier. Bruce had on a suit and tie and Alfred was in his usual work uniform, pouring beverages in the empty glass cups that sat in front of everyone. She bit her lip as she saw the tear stains that were left on Robin and Beast Boy's faces. She saw next to Raven there was a giant crack in her cup, guess she still didn't have complete control over her emotions. She had slipped in, unnoticed. So she silently walked a little closer to the dining table. She couldn't help the tears and grin that spread across her face as she said, "Friends, I have missed you too."

Everyone looked up in disbelief. Jaws dropped as they took in the person standing in front of them. Surely it was an angel, it was too good to be true. She also looked like one, it just couldn't be real. Beast Boy was the first to speak up. "What kind of mean prank is this?" he said quietly. Starfire crossed her arms. "Friend Beast Boy, I am not the 'prank' you speak of." She poked herself on her arm. "I am the real Starfire and not a hologram." She exclaimed smiling. Cyborg stood up and walked to her slowly. "Star...Starfire?" she looked at him while tears began to pile up in her eyes. "Yes friend Cyborg, it is I." next thing she knew she was being held in a bone crushing hug. After about a minute he released her. She saw tears coming down from Cyborg's human eye. "Star! It's really Starfire! Yo this isn't a joke!" She looked over at the dining table where everyone had stood up. Beast Boy and Kid Flash ran over to her and both gave her a tight hug. It took a couple of minutes to calm down Beast Boy and convince him that she was real. Jinx and Bumble Bee ran over doing the same. Tears were dripping off of almost everyone's faces. Raven stepped up next. Raven grabbed her into a tight hug and she could feel the tears from her face fall onto her. A light on the wall exploded as Raven let go. Raven smiled at Starfire and stepped out-of-the-way for Robin. They both locked eyes and stood there. This whole time she had been with Robin, why didn't he tell her? She was furious at him. "You did not tell me you were Robin!" tears began to spill from her face. "That was not nice, I demand to know why you did not tell me who you really were." Robin's eyes twinkled as reached out for Starfire. "_Star_," he said smiling. "I just wanted to wait till the right time." He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to cry. It had been so long since they've hugged like this. She felt him run his fingers through her hair. He leaned into her ear. "Star, you have no idea how much I missed you." She felt him kiss the side of her head as he let go. Starfire looked around at everyone in front of her. She smiled. "Once we are done with the food, may we watch movies in the living room?"

Starfire slowly opened her eyes. She realized she had passed out on the couch, on top of Robin. He had his arms wrapped around her tightly. As she looked around the dark room she found no one else there. They must have all gone to bed. They had watched all types of movies. They ate candy and popcorn like the old days. She promised Cyborg that she would explain _everything _the next morning. She felt a bright light hit her face as she looked up. The moon as glowing bright through the window and all the stars were visible. _"What a beautiful night," _she sighed. She wriggled out of Richard's arms and sat on him. She felt as though she was about to cry. _"This has to be a dream, there is no way the Titans are upstairs sleeping.. no way I was laying on top of robin.. I'll probably wake up soon. Back where I was with Ryan." _She began to whimper as the tears spilled from her eyes. She tried getting up but was startled when Richard grabbed her by the wrist. "Starfire, whats wrong?!" his voice was full of panic. "I am sorry Richard, I did not mean to wake you." She tried twisting her arm out of his grip when he sat up and pulled her onto his lap. "Starfire, what's wrong?" he ran his fingers back and forth on her arm. She looked down at her lap. "Robin, I cannot believe this happening. I feel as though I am going to wake up any moment and all of this will be gone. The Teen Titans will be gone, Bruce and Alfred will be gone.. you.. will be gone." She shuddered. "I cannot take losing you all again. I have to wake up before I become too attached to this dream." she sniffled as she tried pinching herself. Richard grabbed her arm. His heart stopped when he saw marks covering the inner side of her arm. The moon light had shined directly on them. Starfire yanked her arm back. Richard spoke in a low voice. "Star... I can tell which injuries were made by others... and which we're done by the person themselves.." he started to sound angry. Starfire began to sob. "Robin-" she choked on a sob. "I could not help m-myself I was convinced that abuse was what I needed," she started rubbing her eyes. "I was so scared. The only reason I am still h-here today is because I have held onto the h-h-hope that I might s-see all of you, my friends, someday." she grabbed a wrists to try and cover up the scars. She started to shake as Robin pulled her close to him and whispered comforting words into her ear. After she had stopped crying Robin grabbed both of her wrists. He leaned in and kissed the scars on her skin. "I still think you're beautiful and I don't ever wanna lose my best friend." He looked her in the eyes and smiled. She smiled back and huffed. "Robin..?" He looked at her curiously. "Yeah?" She bit her lip and looked down. She moved off his lap and sat in front of him, so she could see all of him. "Robin, the night I was taken, I was planning on telling you something." She grabbed both of his hands and held them. "Robin, you are my best friend. I spent the last few years dreaming of finally saying this to you. I feared the fact that I would never be able to do this. But here we are now. I understand if you do not feel the same way, but I still wish for you to know." She looked him in the eyes. "Robin, I love you." Robin's mouth dropped as the words tumbled out of her mouth. He reached over and began to stroke her face. "Starfire, I love you too." Her eyes widened in shock and Richard couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "I was scared to tell you, but ever since I lost you.. I was so angry at myself for never telling you how I really feel. Now that I have you back, I'm not taking any chances." they stared into each others eyes. Her emerald eyes shone brightly in the moonlight and a pink blush was spreading on her cheeks. Richard leaned his face closer to hers. His eyes began to droop. Starfire followed in his steps. It seemed as though fireworks were lit off as the space between their faces disappeared and Starfire and Richard's lips touched.

Starfire felt a tickle on her arm and began to swat at it. She just wanted to sleep for a few more minutes... the feeling on her arm didn't go away so she opened her eyes in defeat to see Beast Boy Standing over her. A giant grin was spread across his face. "Sleep well?" She sat up as she realized she was laying on top of Robin. His shirt and shoes were on the ground next to her sandals and body armor. A thin red blanket was draped across the both of them. She yawned and stretched and saw that all of the Titans were sitting around the living room. She blushed as she heard Beast Boy and Cyborg snicker. She moved herself off of Richard and began to poke his cheek. "Robin? Please wake up. Our friends are here." His eyes snapped out and he sat up and stretched. He got red in the face when he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. He leaned on the arm of the couch as Beast Boy and Cyborg continued snickering. Bumble Bee walked into the living room holding two plates. "Hey uh sorry but we kinda ate without you. You both looked.. comfortable so we let you sleep some more. Took a lot of convincing for Alfred for him to finally let ya sleep in." She handed Richard and Starfire a plate. "Eat up." On their plates were scrambled eggs, 4 pancakes, and a slice of ham. The only difference between the two was that one was covered in mustard. Starfire smiled at Bumble Bee and they both began eating. During this time Beast Boy tried convincing everyone to try tofu, while Cyborg.. loudly protested. Starfire laughed at them, it was just like the old days. Once she was done, she set her plate on a coffee table that was in front of the couch. Cyborg looked at her and nodded. She took a deep breath as everyone began to quiet down. Robin reached over, holding Starfire's hand. She smiled at him and turned back to her friends. "I promised Cyborg I would tell you all what happened.." she sighed. "As you know, I was captured by Slade.." she felt Robin's grip on her hand tighten. "He told me that I was never going to see any of you again, and that it was the end for everyone. He had me shipped off to a different country where I was taught to follow the rules. If I messed up, they would abuse me." she lifted up her wrists to show the burn marks on them. "I learned to cook, when I messed up, they burned me." she let her arms fall back to her sides. "I learned a few other things too.. but those do not matter, they were simple. After about a year I was sent back to America where I was sold as a maid and.. a sex slave.." she jumped when the plate on the coffee table exploded. Everyone turned to Raven. She blushed angrily. "Continue Starfire.. I let the anger get the best of me, sorry." Starfire nodded at Raven. "It is okay, friend Raven... I never stayed with an owner for more than a year, but they seemed to get even more terrible each time. The scars that are showing now, were in terrible condition before I came here. I was never allowed in the sun so I never got to heal properly. But I assure you in a short time they will all be gone and not a trace left." she smiled at her friends. "I did try to do the escaping once, but I was beaten. My powers started to fail since my emotions were no longer happy. Yesterday though, I noticed that I was floating at one point. It was the first time in years. My last master was Ryan. He treated me the worst. I had lived with him for 8 months before.." she looked at Robin. "One day we had a guest come over, I did not know but it was Robin the whole time. The next thing I knew, I was told I was leaving. The next day Alfred came and picked me up..I spent the last few days resting and regaining my energy.. and here we are now." Robin reached out for her hand again. "Imagine my surprise when the person who opened the door was Star.." he trailed off, deep in thought. Beast Boy walked over to Starfire and put a hand on her shoulder. "Star, you didn't deserve what you went through.. I'm sorry. But it means the world to us that you're here now." She looked to see everyone nodding their heads. Cyborg frowned. "Starfire.. we thought you were _dead. _Slade had human remains and everything. Checked the scanners.. said it was you. Even Raven and BB checked." Raven looked down at the ground. "It is not your fault, you were lied to, but I am here now.. but I have one question.." she looked to Robin. "What happened while I was away?"


	4. Chapter 4

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

I'm also flattered by the reviews I've got. Thanks :3

Thunder boomed around Jump City as rain pelted down from the night sky. A figure stood perched on the top of a tall building. A sudden _**beep beep**_sound was heard from a communicator coming from the figure. The figure snatched it up and flipped it open. "ROBIN!" A loud voice boomed from the small communicator. "What, Cyborg?" He replied back coldly. "It's been almost a week! You've been ignoring our calls, we're worried sick about you man. You need to come back _**NOW**_!" Cyborg demanded. Robin scowled. "She's out here Cyborg, I know it. I can't stop looking for her." Robin replied, grinding his teeth. Lightning struck down and Robin looked up towards the sky. _"She's afraid of thunderstorms. Hopefully she's fast asleep right now. I know how much these scare her." _he thought to himself. he looked back down towards the communicator when Cyborg started to speak again. "Look, It's been days. You're still in the same clothes you were when you went out looking for her, you should come home and get cleaned up. The Team will help search again for her with you tomorrow." Robin growled. "You should be looking for her NOW!" He yelled. He turned off the communicator and closed it shut. He grabbed his hair in frustration and let out a growl. He was so lost. The only clue he had to go on was a piece of paper with Slade's symbol on it. _"It's all my fault, I should have done something, I should have found out sooner.. Not the next morning!" _Robin balled his fists in frustration. His communicator went off again, but he ignored it. He began to run towards the side of the building and leaped to the next one. He had cornered almost every villain that crossed his path, demanding where Starfire was. He became more and more angry with each _"I don't know what you're talking about!"_ he heard escape their lips. He continued to search the city. He checked the roughest parts of town more than 10 times, he checked every alley, every sewer, every warehouse and he _still _couldn't find her. Robin's feet felt heavier with each step he took. He stopped on top of a warehouse near the outskirts of the city. He took a deep breath and looked around. Off in the distance, he could see Titan's tower. He really did want to go home and rest but every second not used to find Starfire, the farther away she felt. Robin sat down and leaned back on the wall of the edge of the building. He looked back up at the sky. The rain really started to pour down hard. He closed his eyes, feeling the rain that hit his face. _"I should have told her..." _he clenched his jaw. _"I shouldn't have taken the time I had with her for granted!" _Robin pulled on his hair as he tried with all his power not to _**cry**_. What would Bruce say if he saw him like this? He would probably scold him. But right now, Robin didn't care anymore. He honestly didn't care about anything at that moment. A giant boulder could be falling down from the sky, destined to squash him and he _wouldn't even care. _ Robin laughed out loud at the thought of feeling so care-free. His laughs quickly turned to silent sobs as he thought about all the things he wish he could have said to her. Tears ran down his face, mixing in with the rain that pelted down. "Starfire," he said out loud. "You are my best friend, the person I trust the most. Everything about you is perfect. If I ever lost you-" he began to shake. "I wouldn't know what to do. I w-would be missing my other half.. because.. I love you, Starfire." he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "I love you, Star." he whispered to himself. "I'll find you, don't you worry. Then we can go to the movies, and I'll buy you some candy along with a giant bottle of mustard." he laughed a little and rested his head on his knees. His eyes began to droop down as he listened to the rhythmic sound of the rain..

"You know, you're gonna catch a cold like that." Robin's eyes snapped open when he recognized the monotone voice. He looked up to see Raven floating over him. He looked around and saw he hadn't moved a muscle all night. The sky had cleared up and the moon was shining brightly. "It's been 3 days since we last contacted you. I have to admit, we all had trouble finding you. The rest of the team is back at the tower.. I figured I would try approaching you first." Robin looked up at her in confusion. "3 days? I've only been out for a couple of hours." he cleared his throat and added, "Found Starfire yet?" Raven looked down and shook her head. "Robin, I'm pretty sure you have been out here for more than just a couple of hours.." she looked back up at him. "I'm here to take you home." Robin scoffed at her. "I'm not going home yet." he said sternly. He stood up and stretched his muscles. Oh yes, it's been more than just a couple of hours. He was way too sore for it to have been only a few. "Robin, listen to me. You should at least come back and get clean, Also eat. When's the last time you ate?" is stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. He didn't really think much about food, in fact, he hadn't even realized how hungry he was until Raven had mentioned it. "I'm fine." he said coldly and began to walk away. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't what she would want. She wouldn't want you to be out here day and night starving yourself. This would break her heart to know that you're torturing your body, and she would blame herself." she spun him around and looked at him with sad, angry eyes. "And you have no right to be mad at me for saying that, cause you know it's true." She released his shoulder and chanted 'Azerath Metrion Zinthos' and a black disk appeared underneath her. Robin sighed heavily, knowing she was right. Instead of arguing, he stepped onto the disk. "When we get home, we have some information we came across that we need to tell you.." the disk began to hover towards the tower.

"Robin! Dude, you're alive!" Beast Boy exclaimed when Raven and Robin stepped into the main living room. Cyborg walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "If Raven didn't already tell you, we ave something important we found this morning. First off though.. you look.. a mess.. you should probably clean up." Robin shrugged and began to make his way out of the room. Raven looked over to Cyborg and Beast Boy. "I'm gonna clean up too, and I'll be back down." Raven headed towards the exit. Once she reached her room she sat down on her bed. "Starfire, I'm so sorry." she whispered to herself. _"No, I can't let my feelings out. It could end bad, plus.. Starfire wouldn't want me to cry over her." _She quickly stood up and headed towards her closest. She grabbed her same everyday uniform, but clean and draped it on her arm. She pulled off her cloak and set it on her bed. _"Starfire probably has no idea how bad her disappearance is effecting us." _Raven shook her head. Starfire might be annoying sometimes, but she was like a sister to Raven. Without her everything was.. different. The tower was now silent. The everyday fights and fun times vanished. Even the crime around Jump City seemed to have stopped. It gave them enough time to realize how lonely they really were without her. They spent more time looking for her than Robin actually knew. She remembered finding him on top of that building. His clothes were soaking wet and ripped, his hair was a mess, flying everywhere around his face.. you would have to be blind to not see he was a mess without her. If they didn't find Starfire soon.. some serious changes would have to be made. Raven sighed.. the team might not make it through this loss. No one dared to say it, but she knew most of them thought this.. Robin is completely oblivious to what has been happening. He thinks he's all alone in this, like he's the only one trying.. does he even know every single Titan and Honorary Titan is out looking for her? Or that they found someway to contact Tamaran to tell them to search for her there? Raven shook her head. She couldn't think about this right now. She needed to have a clear mind.. the thought of not having one of her closest friends anymore tortured her. Raven silently walked out of her room and into the bathroom. After about an hour everyone was cleaned up and in the main room. Robin sat silently at the end of the couch staring into space. Beast Boy and Raven sat in the middle of the couch facing Cyborg who was standing in front of the TV. After everyone was situated Cyborg cleared his throat. "Robin, it's good to have you back here.. but.. we need to do this as a team.. Now you can't freak out and go crazy by what I'm about to tell you. If we want to get Star back, we stick together." He looked around to everyone. We came across some information today that leads to where Slade's hideout is. I'm not positive Stars in there..but what other choice do we have?" Robin stood up quickly. "We have to go now!" Everyone turned to him. Beast Boy grinned and got up. "Yeah, I agree with Robin. Let's go get back our Star!" Raven stood up next to them. "And if she's not there?" Cyborg turned to Raven. "Then we keep looking."

At the outskirts of Town, in a hideout disguised as a car lot, 4 silhouettes silently slide along the perimeter. The 4 silhouettes split up as they neared the building in the center of the car lot. The moon that shone brightly down on what was happening, was suddenly covered in thick clouds that began to rumble. Cyborg, the leader of the mission held up his arm and talked into his communicator. "Raven, BB, Robin, I contacted the Titans East. They'll be here in about 20 minutes as back up. You know what to do for now." Cyborg ended the call and the Titans silently made there was towards the building. As they neared it, they noticed there was no one on guard, no sort of defense in sight. Beast Boy transformed into a fly and flew next to Raven. He transformed back into himself and looked around suspiciously. "You sense anyone, Rae?" Raven shook her head and stood up. "Guys," she called out, "there is no source of life out here. Were the only ones outside the building. I can feel someone inside.. but.. they're underground..." with that, the rest of the Titans stood up and walked over to her. Robin grunted. "No way Slade would leave himself defenseless like that!" Everyone nodded except for Cyborg. "Unless.. He doesn't want to fight..." Cyborg walked closer to the building. "YO, SLADE!" a loud protest from the Teen Titans sounded from behind Cyborg until a booming voice roared back. "Ah, the Teen Titans. I see you have found me." Everyone froze in there spots while Cyborg kept talking. "I can tell you don't plan on fightin' man! What's the deal?!" he shouted out. The door of the building opened up as Slade began to talk again. "I have no intentions of fighting you today. Even though you might wish to fight me, and you will really end up wanting to. You will see with my words as a defense, you cannot." Cyborg turned back to the group. "We should wait till Titans East gets here." Robin began walking towards the door. "No." he said coldly. Everyone stared back at him, surprised. "If he has Starfire, I'm not waiting another minute." He walked towards the entrance and made his way through the door. Raven began to follow him. "No point in stopping him." Cyborg turned to Beast Boy and Beast Boy shrugged in response. "I'll call Titans East to tell them where going in."

A loud boom was heard as the steel door leading to the room that held Slade collapsed on the ground. Slade turned around and faced the visitors. "Titans." he greeted them. "Slade." Robin replied back angrily. "Give us one reason to not attack you now!" Robin demanded. Slade chuckled. "Well I was hoping you might want to hear about a special someone who is missing from your group." he walked closer to the team that got in their battle-ready stances. Robin looked at him with anger spread across his face. "Where. Is. Starfire." he spat. Slade began to laugh and walked over to a table that was covered by a white sheet that had lumps underneath it. "You see, not only have I found the Team's greatest weaknesses, but... _Robin's. _His greatest strength is also his biggest weakness. Without it, what would happen to the Teen Titans? what shall become of oh, poor, Robin?" The Titan's watched in horror as Slade lifted up the sheet to show the most disturbing image they could ever lay their eyes on. Body remains covered in Starfire's clothing laid on the table right before their very eyes. Slade carelessly picked up a whole arm that had Starfire's armor on it. "The poor girl, she screamed and cried about how her friends were going to come and save her, little did they know, it was already too late." He threw the arm back on the table and picked up a chunk of hair. "Your eyes aren't deceiving you! You can use all your powers, do as many test as you like and there result will **ALWAYS **say that this here **IS **your precious Starfire!" he dropped the chunk of hair onto the ground and stared at the Teen Titans. Robin collapsed on his knees. His head started to spin and his stomach started to churn. His vision became fuzzy as tears started to pile up at his eyes. Beast Boy had tears streaming down his face and he was vomiting. Raven stood there, not moving with her hood flipped up. Cyborg had gone completely pale and was in shock. Before any of them could do anything more, Slade gave out a loud snicker. "There's nothing you can do about it!" he looked directly at Robin. "If you kill me, you will become me. You will become the very thing you swore to defeat. Your anger and hatred will have complete control over you. What would Starfire have to say abut that? Do you think she would be able to love a monster?" he spat. "I know you will not attack me. My blood on all of your hands.. what kind of heroes would you be if all you seek is to murder me for revenge of your friend?" his voiced boomed loudly in the room. Slade pulled out a remote and pushed a button. The roof above them opened up. "Sorry Titans.. but this is where I leave." he turned his back towards them and laughed.

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**"

Robin screamed hysterically as he launched himself at Slade. He grabbed on to his face and slammed it into the ground. Slade, who was still shocked by his attack didn't have time to block Robin who lifted his BO-staff in the air and plunged it straight into his stomach. Robin sat on top of him and began to punch him over and over on his mask. There was a loud cracking sound as Slade's mask cracked open as Robin continued to punch him. "I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" Tears began to visibly fall down Robin's face as blood started to cover his hands and splat on his face. "I. WILL. **KILL**.** YOU**." Robin screamed in rage and punched harder."ROBIN! STOP!" He could hear the Team scream at him to stop, but he felt as though he was going deaf. All he knew was that he had to kill Slade. He felt a large pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist. Robin thrashed and hit the arms around him with force. They let go and he began to make his way back over to Slade. He felt hands try to pull him back but he kept wriggling his way out. He could faintly hear them all screaming at him, but he couldn't hear them. All of a sudden, a wave of water knocked him back into a wall. He fell to his knees but didn't have time to react before two arrows pinned his cape to the wall. Robin pulled at his cape and tried to get free but he felt a wave of magic hit him, covering his mouth. A blur rushed by his face and he suddenly felt cuffs around his arms. After about a minute of protesting Robin fell to the ground in defeat. He began to sob uncontrollably. He didn't care everyone was watching him cry hysterically. He didn't care everyone watched him go crazy and murder Slade. He didn't care. He could die right now and he wouldn't care. He wanted to die. He spent so long hiding his feelings, locking them up. Now here they are, spilling out in front of everyone. Everyone in that room probably lost all respect for him. The love of his life, his sanity, was gone. He would never see that smile again. He would never see those shining Emerald eyes... Robin looked up to see Raven approach him. He could see her lips moving, but couldn't make out what she was saying. He could feel her pick him up and drag him onto her lap. He saw Beast Boy standing above him eyes full of fear and tears. Everything suddenly went black.

ooh this chapter was really dark o.o

the next couple chapters will probably be about what happened when Starfire is gone so stay in tune!


	5. Chapter 5

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

I decided to update again today for starprincess313! You guys should really go and read some of her stories! they're great.(:

Beast Boy looked down at the Teen Titan's unconscious leader. His stomach churned and he felt as though he was going to puke again. He didn't know what to think anymore. He had just laid eyes on remains of one of his best friends. And to top it all off, another one of his best friends went crazy and had a meltdown. Yep, he was going to be sick. He ran over to a corner in the room and puked. He felt a pat on the back and looked up to see Aqualad. Beast Boy wiped his mouth and turned to face him. They looked at each other with sad eyes and nodded. Beast Boy took a deep breath and walked over to where Raven and Cyborg where kneeling over Slade. He stood above them and looked around. Aqualad was making his way over to Speedy who was standing over Robin. Bumble Bee was walking back in the room, she had escorted Mas y Menos out of the room before they say anymore than Robin going crazy. He jumped when Cyborg said loudly "This guy is _still _alive!" The Titans east scrambled over to where Slade was laying and looked at Cyborg. Beast Boy stared directly at Slade's... well he couldn't call it a face anymore.. it was seriously deformed. His face was swollen in every place imaginable and was drenched in blood. Beast boy was surprised how Slade even was able to move his lips, but he did. everyone froze as Slade's raspy weak voice reached out to them. "I ... didn't think... he.. would.. do .. it-" Slade coughed up blood. "Under..estimated.. him... but.. I sti.. ll... won... I.. took.. your... Star.. and... you.. live.. with.. a _murderer." _and with that, Slade gave another hack and his breathing stopped. Beast Boy was the first to speak. "The only murder I see is him." To everyone's surprise, Beast Boy spat on Slade's face and walked over to Starfire's remains. He tried with all his power not to vomit, as he shifted into a dog and sniffed the body parts. He shifted back into his human form and quietly said "Yep, it's Star." beast Boy turned his back on them as he started to cry and walked towards the door to leave. Cyborg stood up and turned to the Titans east. "I.. I'm sorry you.. had to see all of this. We didn't expect for it to be this.. bad.. this.. _evil._" He shuddered and walked over to where Robin laid. Bumble Bee followed him. "I don't.. I'm so sorry.." Cyborg didn't respond as he picked up Robin and slung him over his shoulder. "You can leave.. if you want.. Thanks for helping with Robin." Speedy walked over to Cyborg and shook his head. "Were not leaving yet. You're gonna need some help.." he looked over to the table with Starfire's body parts and bit his lip as he quickly turned away. Raven stood up and walked over to the table. She spoke with no emotion as she said "It.. it's Star. Cyborg, even come check." Cyborg walked over and used his free arm to run his scanner of the body parts. He held back a sob as the scanner confirmed it was Starfire. A medium sized box that was being held by black magic floated over the table and Starfire's body parts floated up into it. Raven turned to leave the room with the box floating above her. She kept walking as she said "We can't just leave her here. It's not right." She slipped out of the room.

Cyborg brought black a glass of water for Bumble Bee as she sat on the couch. They all had returned back to Titans tower to discuss the situation. Everyone was scattered around the living room, except for Robin, who was down at the Medical wing. "So, what.. should we deal with first?" Cyborg looked around. Aqualad spoke up. "I think we should deal with the team first." Speedy and Raven nodded their heads in agreement. "We all know we can't go on like this!" Beast Boy yelled. "Starfire, our heart of the group, is gone! And our leader went crazy! so basically there's only 3 of us! We can't ask any of the Titans East to join us, they have problems of their own. We're a wreck. It"s gonna take a long time for things to even be normal, if that's even possible!" everyone froze at his words, they all knew he was right. Beast Boy sighed in frustration. "Cyborg, if we can even be a team, we need a leader. And I know this might seem too soon.. but we need one.. and I think we need one **_now_**. I know I'm not the only one who knows Robin won't be fit to lead us for a while. The guy who kept all of his feelings to himself, had a freakin' meltdown in front of everyone! Him and Starfire were closer to each other than anyone in the group, and it was pretty obvious they liked each other more than friends. So, its also pretty obvious he's not emotionally stable. So.. I vote **Cyborg **the new leader of the group for now." He crossed his arms, waiting for everyone to take in what he just said. Mas y Menos silently said "Si." While the rest of the group agreed. Cyborg looked around in surprise as everyone agreed for Cyborg to lead them. "I... I.. have no choice.. I have to say yes." Cyborg sighed. He had lost his sister.. and he might even lose one of his best friends. It was a lot to take in. The images he witnessed were still fresh in his mind and he couldn't get them out. They all had turned to him for guidance. Cyborg had to admit, he always wanted to be the leader.. but not end up being it like this. "Wait," Speedy said. "You guys can't just go on with just 3 people, I mean you can.. but it seems.. things would fall apart faster." he shrugged. Bumble Bee cleared her throat. "If you want.. we can find someone to come over and help.." Cyborg took in their offer. They did need some help and the Titans East would probably have to leave soon. Cyborg nodded. "Who do you have in mind?" everyone turned to Raven while she spoke. "What about Kid Flash? I know he's close with Robin. He could help him." before anyone could say anything Aqualad responded with "But he's with Jinx. So if you want him, she goes with." he stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Cyborg nodded. "Okay.. it's better than nothing.. You sure they'll come?" he asked unsure. Bumble Bee scoffed. "If he's close with Robin, and he needs help.. why wouldn't he come? Sorry Sparky, but I think it's time for the team to head out, we've been away from our city for a bit too long with no protection... I wish we could have done more... I can't tell you how sorry I am." she looked down at the ground. Beast Boy got up and bumped knuckles with Aqualad. "Later dude." Beast Boy said sadly. "Later" responded Aqualad, with the same tone. After everyone said their goodbye's, sorry's, and "we'll be in contact", they left. The 3 remaining Titans sat quietly in the living room. Beast Boy turned to Cyborg. "So.. about.. Robin.. what do we do?"

Robin shifted uncomfortably on the hospital bed. Everything felt like a dream. He heard people talking to his left and did his best to ignore it. He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to face anyone. He didn't want to face.. not having.. St- "Richard." Raven's voice said sternly. Robin's eyes snapped open in shock. He sat up and looked to where Raven was. She was standing to his left with Cyborg. "H-how did you..?" Robin looked at her in confusion and then felt around his eyes. _His mask was gone! _Before he had time to react Raven said "I'm sorry.. but we didn't know what else to do." Robin looked at her with surprise for a moment. He then looked down to see he was dressed with only a pair of black sweat pants. and an IV hooked to his right arm. he tugged on it and then laid back down. "How long have I been out?" he cleared his voice. "28 hours." Cyborg responded. "I lost her Cy, she's gone. I wasn't there to protect her." Robin balled up his fists and closed his eyes. He sat up and rose his voice. "She's gone! That thing took her from me! She's gone! And it's all my fault!" he began to shake as he felt tears dripping down his face. "I don't even care if you know who I am anymore." he laughed lightly. "My name is Richard Grayson, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. I left home and came to Jump City hoping to get out of his shadow. I gained 4 best friends and fell in love with one!" he felt the hot tears stream down his face. "I lost her to a crazy mad man and then killed him! I Richard Grayson, killed a man!" He chuckled and buried his face in his hands, not wanting to see Raven's or Cyborg's reaction to what he had said. He was surprised when he felt a set of small arms wrap themselves around his shoulders. He heard the door to the medical room open and was surprised yet again when he heard a familiar voice call his name. "Robin?" he looked up to see Kid Flash standing in front of the door. "KF?" he asked in confusion. He looked to Raven who unraveled her arms from him. "We.. needed extra help around here.. and you and Kid Flash are close so we thought he could help you." Kid Flash walked closer to him. "Wally.." Robin said sadly. He saw Cyborg and Raven glance at each other than leave the room. "Dick.. what happened to you?" Kid Flash's eyes widened as he went over and sat on the end of the medical bed. Robin shrugged and wiped away the tears from his eyes. "I lost it. Crossed the line." Robin laid back on the bed. "So I heard.. how are you gonna deal with this..? I know you Dick.. and I can tell this isn't going to go well for you." Kid Flash's voice was lined with concern. Robin shrugged again. "You lose the person you love the most, you don't really see a point in anything. I know I can't stay here. I'll be a burden to everyone." Robin rubbed his eyes. "Well.." kid Flash replied, "I already called Bruce. I told him what happened. Batsy says that if you need to come back home and get yourself together you can. Already said he has a therapist and what not waiting on the line. Got to talk to Alfred too, says he misses ya 'Master Grayson'." Kid Flash chuckled at the last sentence. Robin laughed too. "Well.. Wally.. we'll just see how it all works out."


	6. Chapter 6

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

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A young boy with black flippy/spikey hair and deep blue eyes stepped out of a therapist's office. He listened silently to the conversation being held by the young boy's step-father and therapist inside of the room he just exited. "This.. boy.." he heard the high pitched voice of Dr. Gabel, his therapist, say. "I don't know if he'll ever be emotionally stable." he heard him sigh loudly. "Ever?!" he heard his step-father respond with concern and anger laced in voice "What has he talked about the past couple weeks?" his step-father said eagerly. He heard a sigh. "Mr. Wayne, your son Richard hasn't talked about anything but.. _her for the past year. _I also know before that, you had another therapist for Richard and it was the same thing for the last 3.I know you are getting tired of hearing the same results but I cannot seem to get him to talk about anything else. I have tried distracting his mind but nothing seems to work. He has the worst case of depression I have _ever _seen, and I am afraid I can do nothing more than suggest a few other therapists that might be able to reach to him." he heard foot steps approach the door and stop. The young boy scrambled back towards the other side of the hallway and leaned against it. "I'm sorry." heard his therapist say as he walked out of the door. The young boy looked at him with his eyebrow raised as he looked at the plump, balding old white man. Dr. Gabel walked over to the boy and patted his shoulder and smiled. "It's been nice working with you." Richard stared as Dr. Gabel started to leave but snapped his attention back to the therapist's office when he saw his step-father step out. Bruce smiled sadly and shook his head. "Looks like we need a new therapist." Bruce draped his arm over the young boy and they silently walked towards the exit.

As soon as they got home, Richard went straight to his room and laid on his bed facing the ceiling. That's the second therapist that lost all hope in him. He didn't really mind, to be truthful, no one's opinions mattered to him anymore. They hadn't for a while. It had been 4 years since he lost Starfire. Robin stayed with the Teen Titans for 2 months before they forced him back in with Bruce. They couldn't handle him, and he didn't blame them. They hadn't abandon him, in fact it was the complete opposite of abandonment. They visited him at least once a week, called almost everyday to ask how he was, asking how the therapists meetings were going, update on Jump City, etc. He thought for sure that they would all hate him for turning into a monster. But they didn't, he thought that he lost all his friends, but everyone was there for him, for each other. He still kept in contact with Titans East and Honorary Titans. Every now and then some would stop by. The first year, he repelled against everyone who tried to help, but no one gave up that easily. Richard gave up the super hero job and was diagnosed with depression, anorexic, self harm and put on suicide watch the first year of Starfire being gone. No matter how far he would try and push his friends back, they were too stubborn to leave. Bruce eventually got sick of his mopping around, and threatened to throw him out. Out of no where, the Teen Titans had appeared, and each one seemed to have a piece of their mind to give to Bruce. Realization hit Bruce and it almost had the man in _tears. _He had apologized to Richard and became more of a father than he ever was to Richard. During the 2nd year, Richard had lost the interest in talking but his self-harm issue was no more. He was silent for a solid 10 1/2 months till one day he found Alfred in the kitchen, about to throw away a bottle of mustard. Richard's voice was hoarse and quiet when he said "Wait no! Alfred don't throw away the mustard, Starfire loves mustard. She eats everything with it." Everyone was happy he began to speak again, but it was different. He had become less sociable than Raven. The third year.. no one really expected the things that happened to happen. Richard became the definition of playboy. He had mindless, non-affectionate sex with multiple woman, dated hundreds of woman, cheated and played them.. broke hearts all for the fun of it. No one could get him to stop either. He was like a robot. He seemed to be programmed to do it. The 4th year, Richard had left the whole 'Playboy' title. He was a little more out going so Bruce would usually let him take his place during small business meetings. He still suffered from depression, and his eating disorder changed from Anorexic to Bulimia and was still under suicide watch. He became closer to all of the Titans than he was before during this year. He was thankful for the family and friends he had. Just usually not their decisions. They had forced him into therapy, and he had to make up this whole story on how he lost this girl, they forced him to take certain medications, when to sleep, when to eat, etc. It was his everyday life. Being awake and going through this same routine was better then being asleep. He hadn't gotten a good night sleep in years. He usually only slept about 4 hours then his sleeping was filled with heart-ripping nightmares that kept him up the rest of the night. Same old same old. Richard sighed and rolled over, stuffing his face on a pillow. He cried silently until he heard a knock on his bedroom door. He yelled "COME IN!" with his face still stuffed in the pillow. He heard Bruce's voice. "Richard, I need you to do a little business run for me." he continued when Richard didn't respond. "There's a city about 13 hours away with a man named Ryan Hesswidge. He wishes to discuss the terms of a partnership. I already know my answer, but you need to get out of the house. Who knows, you might even find a friend." Richard turned to see Bruce shrug. "This guy live alone?" Richard asked. He really hoped he didn't, so maybe someone else could be there so it would not be as awkward for him. "Technically, no." Richard raised an eyebrow at Bruce's response. "Technically?" he said suspiciously. Bruce clenched his jaw. "Ryan isn't the best person in the world..." Bruce said annoyed. "My sources told me he bought a young woman from the slave market in Russia and is owning her as a maid. Other than that, there is no one." Richard looked at Bruce with disgust. "And I'm suppose to go down there and talk with him?" Richard said shoving his face back down on the pillow. He heard Bruce open the door. "You'll be leaving in the next couple hours to get there on time." Her heard Bruce leave the room. Richard sighed in frustration, wishing he had Starfire here to comfort him, he began to cry again.

Richard smiled when the GPS said he would reach his destination in about 5 minutes. He had been driving for hours. Alfred insisted on taking him but he convinced Alfred he could drive himself. Richard had taken the red mustang that sat in the garage. He wasn't really looking forward to spending the next couple hours with this guy, but at least he was doing something other than sulking around the house. He heard his phone go off and he reached in his pocket and answered, putting it on speaker. "Richard?" he heard Beast Boy's voice ring out. "Yeah, hey Garfield." Robin looked to the GPS as it said "Arrived at destination" he pulled up to a large fancy house and parked in front of the yard. He pulled out his keys and waited for Beast Boy to speak. "Hey dude! Just checking up on you, Bruce said you were out of town?" he could tell Beast Boy was suspicious. "Yeah, I was sent here to do a little business errand for Bruce. This guy lives about 13 hours away from Gotham, so I've been driving for what seems like forever." Richard stretched out and heard his back popped. "Oh, okay dude. Just making sure.. you know." Richard did know. Multiple times Richard tried committing suicide and one time had told everyone he was going on a little business trip. raven found out and they all went after him. Needless to say, they weren't too happy. He was brought out of thought when Beast Boy asked, "What's his name? Got a family?" Robin thought for a second. "I know his first name is Ryan.. but his last name is Hess something. He doesn't have any family.. but get this.. this.. this.." Richard took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Pathetic excuse for a man... _bought _someone. Like actual property. He's been using her as a maid. I don't even know what else he has been forcing her to do." He shuddered and opened up his car door. "Listen Gar, I gotta go. I'm about to go in. Tell everyone I said hey and I'll give you a call later." Beast Boy responded with "Alright man! Bye." and he hung up. Richard shoved his phone in his pocket and climbed out the car. He closed the door and began to make his way up the pavement leading to the door. He had an uneasy feeling all of a sudden as he stood in front of the door. "Just another little business trip, nothings going to happen." he grumbled to himself and rang the door bell. The door opened 3 seconds later, showing a dream on the other side..

He looked at the woman who opened the door. She had orange-bronze skin and fiery red hair that stretched out down to her but in waves. She wore a gray dress that snugged her body tightly and revealed a bit of cleavage, along with black flats and a black choker necklace. His breath hitched as he looked at her face. _"No, no, no no no no no, she's dead, she isn't a live, you're imaging her __**again**__,____Richard! snap out of it!"_ He looked at her with shock. For she looked exactly like Starfire, but a bit older. She was beyond gorgeous. Except her eyes. They looked exactly like Starfire's. They were big and a beautiful emerald color but they seemed.. different.. no, Starfire's eyes were never like this. This woman's eyes looked dead. Looking into her eyes made him want to shiver. He wondered if this was what it was like for people to look him in the eyes.. his eyes looked lifeless. He felt more shock and anger start to boil inside him when he saw cuts all over her body. It was obvious she tried to hide them, there were smudges of foundation everywhere. She was beaten. He saw the woman bite her lip and take a step back, she looked nervous and unsure of something. He continued to stare at her and think whether or not he should bolt back to his car and leave. He then figured Bruce would be mad for making it this far and not speaking to Ryan so he spoke up. "This is Ryan's home, right?" He continued to stare at her, shocked while she nodded and said "Yes, right this way." He wanted to melt. That voice.. it sounded so much like _her_. Except it was sad.. she sounded so sad.. and she looked so broken.. She stepped out-of-the-way and let him through. He shut the door behind himself and followed her as she lead him farther into the house. He scanned her up and down. Why on earth was she beat? Wasn't she from Russia? Shouldn't she be speaking Russian or something? Was he going crazy? Is this some sick prank being played by Bruce? But he had to know her name at least. He heard her sigh and stopped walking. She turned to him when he asked "Whats your name?" She looked him directly in the eye. It seemed as though she was analyzing him, trying to figure out something. Another look in her eyes and he could tell she was broken and unhappy. "Master Ryan says it is not appropriate to have such conversation with a guest. I am sorry." she gave him a sad smile. Was his ears deceiving him too? He smirked at her and said "You talk very formal." he gave a light chuckle. He watched her face as he thought about what he said. After a moment she just shrugged and smiled at him. She turned back around and started walking. A smile had sprawled across Richard's lips. What? What is this? He couldn't even remember the last time he actually smiled! He couldn't tell the difference between reality and a dream anymore. As he entered what he assumed to be the living room he was greeted by Ryan. He was an average looking guy with a twinkle of greed in his eyes. Ryan offered him to sit down while his maid fetched them some beverages. He barley payed any attention to Ryan as he started babbling about some finances. He felt like he was going to have a panic attack. This really wasn't real. His eyes flickered to the woman when she walked in holding two wine glasses filled with white wine. She handed them their drinks, did a quick bow and headed back towards the kitchen. He turned back to Ryan. "The maid, may I ask a few questions about her?"

Richard's heart nearly exploded when Ryan confirmed that the woman's name was Starfire. Was it his Starfire though? Ryan explained what a 'pain that bitch' can be. He was getting very angry with Ryan. Until an idea popped up in his head. "Ryan, how much for that maid?" Ryan began to crack up hysterically. "Ahh," he said finally catching his breath. "You want that _thing_?" Richard clenched his fists in anger. "Yes. I will pay you." Richard realized he was beginning to sound desperate. Ryan shook his head. "Sorry, maid is all mine. Not for sale.. but I know a pretty good line and woa!" Richard pulled out a bundle of cashed that was filled with 100$. Ryan snatched the wad from his hand and quickly said go ahead. What time you picking it up?" The way he talked about the woman like that made him sick to his stomach. He stood up quickly. "7:00 am on the dot. Excuse me, I have to place a call.."

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hey! sorry I planned on writing A LOT more but I'm really tired. I can barley keep my eyes open. Dx until next time!


	7. Chapter 7

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

it has been a few days.. but I have not forgotten about this story!

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It was around 10 in the morning when Richard Grayson pulled up to the Wayne mansion. He was exhausted. He had driven all night. He quickly parked his car and made his way into the house. Alfred was gone. He had called the butler yesterday telling him that he needed to be at his location the next morning to retrieve a new maid. He called Alfred around 5 this morning, since they were both up and driving. He explained how he had found out that the maid was Starfire and that she had no idea that he was Robin. Alfred and Richard agreed to keep it a secret and wait for the right time to let her know. He would have to explain this whole situation to Bruce, if Alfred hasn't already. Richard made his way into the kitchen and saw Bruce Wayne, dressed in a bath robe sipping coffee and reading the newspaper near the fridge. Bruce looked at him with tired eyes. "How did the meeting with Ryan go?" Bruce cleared his throat. Richard walked closer to him. "Fine, the meeting was fine. But that isn't important." Richard's heart began to pound and Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. Richard's voice was barley over a whisper "I found her. Bruce, I found Starfire. It wasn't an illusion. She's real." Richard swallowed nervously, assuring himself that what he saw was real. Bruce's eyes widened in shock and stared at him. Bruce cleared his throat again. "R-Richard... are you sure? Last time.. you know.. it's just that-" he was interrupted with Richard's yells echoing through the kitchen. "I know what I saw, dammit! SHE WAS THERE! I talked to her! Ryan even saw her, actually she was his personal maid! You should have seen her, Bruce.." Richard's voice dropped down to a whisper. "She looked so broken.. she has cuts and bruises from head to toe.. I can't tell you how hard it was to stop myself from grabbing her and shielding her away from everything..." he trailed off as Bruce set his coffee down. "Dick, does she know it's you?" Richard shook his head in response. "Are you going to do something about where she's staying?" Richard opened his mouth to say something but then quickly closed it again. Bruce let out a dark chuckle. "I guess that explains why Alfred isn't here." Bruce patted Richard on the back. "This must be extremely difficult for you. I honestly don't know how to respond to this kind of situation. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go on patrol tonight, but given the circumstances.. I feel as though you need some time." Bruce began to walk out of the kitchen. "Oh, Dick.. It wouldn't be wise to hide your real identity from her any longer. So I'm going to set up some arrangements for a visit from the Teen Titans. A little support from them would be nice." and with that, he left the area. Richard sat there, baffled. He saw the Titans regularly but this time it would be different. _Way _different. It still doesn't explain how Slade was able to fool them so easily. Those body parts.. if they weren't Starfire's.. then who's? The thought of that memory mad Richard's stomach flip. He decided to rest up before Alfred brought Starfire back. A couple hours of rest really would help.

Richard rubbed his eyes and sat up. He turned to a clock on his nightstand. 7:15. Starfire would be here soon. Richard's stomach began to do flips at the thought of her. He got up and walked over to his closet. He put on black capris and a red flannel and let his shaggy black hair go undone. He slipped on some black converse and made his way out of the room. He was surprised to see Bruce standing there waiting for him. "Need you in the bat cave. Alfred and Starfire should be here in 40 minutes. We'll be done around then." Bruce said impatiently. He began to walk away and Richard followed slowly. . . . . . . . . . . 8:15. Richard's hands began to shake. Alfred had just came down to tell them that they were requested to be in the main living room now. Bruce and Richard followed Alfred silently. When they reached their destination Richard sunk into a chair that faced away from the living room's entrance. Bruce stood by him. "Master Bruce, Master Dick, I shall go and retrieve Starfire." The old man walked off. Richard began to fidget nervously when Bruce put a hand on his shoulder. "Dick, you need to relax. She still ha no idea you are Robin. Acting like this will make her suspicious." Richard nodded and waited. After a couple of minutes he began to her voices. As they got closer he could here Starfire's angelic laugh. By now, he could ear that they were talking about sauces for pasta. Richard smirked. The conversation died down and her heard footsteps behind him. Richard froze. Could he face her without having a panic attack? Or would he just lose it right then and there? Richard was so caught up in his thinking that he failed to realize Bruce had just greeted Starfire and everyone was waiting for him. "Richard, it would polite to come greet Starfire." there was obvious annoyance in Bruce's voice. "Yeah, I'm coming." Dick replied. He sat up in the chair and turned to face everyone. His heart stopped as soon as his eyes landed on Starfire. She looked gorgeous. Her dress made her body look irresistible and he was tempted yet again to run his hands through her silky-red hair. The pearls she worse made her eyes pop, which had widened in shock as soon as their eyes locked. He walked over and held out his hand. She reached out and shook his hand politely. He felt a buzz coming from his hand. Oh, that familiar buzz. He wanted to melt. That handshake, strangely, meant so much to him. He looked into her eyes. She seemed confused as if she was trying to figure out something. He smiled at her. She looked so beautiful. He was now noticing how gorgeous she had become over the years, despite all the abuse he assumed she had been put through.. since the evidence was written all over her body. Dick's stomach churned angrily at the thought of all the horrid things she must have gone through. Richard could feel his protective self come in. He always felt that way around Starfire. She was always breath-taking, but now after all these years without seeing her.. it was like he got hit by the beauty bus. "Richard and uh..y-you look stunning." _"Great!" _he thought sourly. _"I stuttered like an idiot." _A blush crept over her face. Her angelic voice soothed him while she spoke. "Thank you, it has been great to meet all of you." she smiled and her eyes flickered to Alfred, Bruce, then Richard. Richard stared at her in awe. He was mesmerized. Starfire was here in this very room. He hadn't laid eyes on her in what seems like forever, besides all the dreams and illusions he went through quiet often. Starfire gave him a curious look and Bruce cleared his throat. "So Starfire.. If you wouldn't mind, can you explain to us how it came for you to end up in the slave market?"

Richard tried his best not to pay to the story Starfire was telling. It was probably confusing to her. He would growl quietly, clench his fists, and scowl during the entire time.. and she had no idea why. She smiled at everyone. Richard couldn't look her in the eyes. He was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were turning white and he felt like was going to be sick. "And your last.. master, Ryan was it? What about him?" Bruce asked. Starfire shuddered. "I should not speak bad of the person who had taken care of me for so long-" Richard scoffed loudly in anger. She has every right to speak bad out that-that _thing _she had to live with. Bruce glared at Richard and turned back to Starfire before he could respond. She continued on. "But, since I have been brought here and have been requested to share my past.. I guess it is fine." she sighed and continued. "Ryan was always very angry.. I lived with him for 8 months. He was more physically abusive than emotionally.." Starfire bit her lip, while Richard was deciding whether he should leave the room before he had a freak out. She looked up at Alfred who gave her a nod of approval. "W-well.. I was raped and beat every day, and was treated with mean words. I am use to this, so it did not as you say 'phase' me. But Alfred," she smiled at him, "Helped clean up my injuries and I give my thanks." _"Yep. Leave."_ Richard stood up quickly and stared at Starfire. How could someone do this to her?! Take her innocence like that?! It wasn't any of theirs to claim! But it wasn't his.. or was it? Could it have been? Richard stared blankly at Starfire while she looked back, puzzled. Bruce walked over to him and leaned into his ear. "Dick, I think you should leave. You're going to blow your cover. I am just as upset to hear about what she was put through, but I'm better at hiding it." Bruce leaned back and Richard clenched is jaw. He sped out of the living room. Richard ran straight into his room. He slammed the door behind him and let out a frustrating growl. He kicked a few pillows around and huffed angrily. Maybe he should go on patrol tonight. Beating up a couple of goons might help relieve some of his anger..

The next 3 days went by incredibly slow. Richard was busy with patrols and thinking about how the Titans would react when they found out that Starfire was alive. How would Starfire act when she discovered he was Robin? Probably angry for not telling her. But it just wasn't the right time. He couldn't help but stare at Starfire when she was around. He longed to just hold her and tell her how he feels. He never got the chance to. She was starting to look much better. Apparently none of her old 'masters' would ever let her sunbathe. A reason why none of her wounds healed up all the way. Her skin seemed to have its glow back and her red hair seemed vibrant. He loved watching her sunbathe. She would giggle and talk with Alfred whenever she invited him to join her. Alfred and Bruce grew to really like her. He heard Starfire explaining to Alfred once in the kitchen that he reminded her of her kanorfka, basically 'nanny' in Tameranian. He even heard quiet a few laughs coming from Bruce when ever Starfire was around. She seemed to put every in a good mood, even the stone-cold. It was around 9:45 at night and Richard decided to walk around the manor. The Teen Titans would be here tomorrow, and he really needed some time to think. Sitting there in his dark bedroom didn't really help him. he was walking for a bit when he heard foot steps from behind him. They were so light, he could automatically tell it was Starfire. This would be a perfect time to talk. He stopped and turned around. He stared right into her eyes. She looked surprised by his sudden actions. He thought she looked adorable, but he controlled his giggles as he began to speak. "The Teen Titans, huh? What was it like there?" he pouted out his bottom lip. She looked shocked by his question but she answered calmly. "It was wonderful, the Titans were the closest thing I ever had to a family." She frowned. She must have thought of Blackfire. She was cruel to Starfire and Richard didn't like her because of this. But the Teen Titans, they were like family. Richard moved over closer to her. "Have any best friends there?" he asked with true curiosity. She looked down sadly. Her voice sounded sad as she responded. "My closest friend was Robin, he knew me better than anyone there. I cared about him very much." she looked up and smiled at him. That really hit his heart. He cared about her very much, too. In fact, he still does. Does she still care for Robin? "If you do not mind me asking," he could tell she was hesitant on asking. "I wish to ask why your eyes always look so sad." he looked down at the ground. Was it really that obvious that he was miserable? He could answer this truthfully, without giving out too much information. "I lost my best friend, my everything, and all my other friends in the process. I crossed the line." he laughed lightly at the thought of him going crazy when he took down Slade. "People said I had gone crazy and needed to be locked up somewhere. I got my revenge though.." a small evil smile spilled across his face. "It took almost every single friend I had to take me down. They didn't know what to do with me. I kept my real identity a secret, so the first thing they did was find that out and sent me back here, my old home. I've been here for the past 3 years. Bruce still doesn't think I'm healthy enough to leave." he shook his head. "My friends still check up on me every week, they say as soon as I'm stable then I can come back. But we all know it will be a while.." It was true, it took all of Titans East to bring him down, and the rest of the Titans to bring him down mentally.. well.. almost. Starfire was frowning at him. Richard couldn't tell if it was from pity or disgust. She put a hand on his shoulder. "May I ask what has happened to your friend, if that is okay?" she asked nervously. Richard looked up at her and smiled. "I was told my friend was dead, gone from me forever. I couldn't bear that thought, so I never believed it. I found I was right, that they were still alive. I'm waiting for the right time to show myself to them though." he shrugged. He was surprised when Starfire leaned in and gave him a big hug. He breathed in the scent of her. Her hair still smelled like strawberries, after all this time. He was really tempted to run his hands through her hair. Maybe he will. But before he could Starfire pulled away and looked him in the eyes. "I am sorry for the pain you have been through these past few years. No one deserves to go through that. I know we are not close but I am always here if you need a friend." she smiled at him and walked off towards the kitchen. Richard stared at her, dazed. That really just happened. Starfire had hugged him and offered friendship! That gorgeous alien was so close to him. He was in a haze, still trying to process what just happened.

Richard woke up early the next morning. He put on black dress pants with some black dress shoes and a gray short sleeved shirt that hugged him tight. He buttoned it down a bit, to show off a bit of his chest. He smirked as he walked to the kitchen. He decided to skip breakfast. His eating disorder wasn't a big problem anymore like it use to be, but Alfred still treated him like it was the end of the world if he was ever caught skipping a meal. He had to make sure that Alfred wouldn't find out that he missed breakfast or that man would kill him. He would also kill him if he didn't tell Starfire what time the guests were coming. A little past 12, Richard was walking by Starfire's room. He really hoped she would respond well to when she found her outfit. Richard a_ll _of her stuff in a storage room in the manor. He found her silver armor pieces and decided she might like it. He had Alfred slip it in that morning a long with a purple dress. Maybe he should try and hangout with Starfire today.. before he could chicken out he knocked on her door. When she opened the door, he had to take a step back. His jaw dropped at the sight of her. Words could not describe how beautiful she was. Everything about her. She was nodding her head approvingly at him while her eyes scanned him up and down. They both snapped back into reality once they realized had stood there gazing at each other for who-knows-how-long. Starfire was the first to break the silence. "Please.. I look.. nice?" Richard could feel the blush that plastered his face. He searched trough is vocabulary, stunned. "Y-you look amazing. Breath taking." Starfire blushed and smiled at his words. Richard smiled back nervously and continued. "Alfred told me to tell you the guests will be here around 7 tonight.. I uh.. was wondering.. if you wanted to hangout before they arrive?" he stuffed is hands in his pockets and grinned at her. She giggled and nodded. He looped his arm around hers and lead her around the house till they reached the garage. "Please, where are we going?" she asked suspiciously. Richard brought her to a black Mercedes and held the passenger door open for her. He walked around to the other side and slipped in. "Well.." he said, "I figured going to the movies would be fun." he began to drive froward out of the garage and into the street.

Richard was having the most fun he had in years. He and Starfire stepped out of the movie theater, laughing their heads off. He was having a hard time breathing, due to laughing so hard. He and Starfire were joking about a comedy movie they saw which was one of the 3 movies they had watched that day. He loved spending time with her. He wasn't paying that much attention to the movie. He was more focused on her. They way her facial expression would change during different scenes entertained him. During the romance movie a grin was always on her face each time there was a kissing scene or any other gushy lovey dovey stuff. She had cried a couple times, which broke Richard's heart to see the tears fall from her face, but he kept quiet. During the action movie her eyes would go wide every time there was any type of fight scene. A little 'o' shape would form on her lips when something nerve racking would happen. During the comedy she was laughing through the entire movie. Her laugh and smile warmed his heart. It seemed as though her smile and laughter could cure any disease with its pureness. Starfire had cracked a joke about the movie while they were exiting the building, which resulted in what seemed like endless laughter. But Richard's face turned stone cold when e looked behind Starfire. A group of teenage guys eyeing Starfire. He had a stare down with what he would assume to be the leader of this righteous pack. Richard had won of course, but they didn't accept defeat that easily. Richard growled in disgust and grabbed Starfire's hand and dragged her towards the car, leaving the whistling perverted boys behind. He got in and clenched his jaw. He really wanted to go over and say a word or two to the boys but it wouldn't be the wisest thing. He heard a soft voice beside him. "Are you the okay?" he turned to the voice and saw Starfire's bright smile. His frown automatically became a smile. Dang, she was just too cute. "Yeah I'm fine, now.. One more stop. It's already 6:30. Don't want Alfred upset." As they drove off Richard turned on the radio. He heard a squeal come from Starfire as the song 'Only Exception' by Paramore started playing. "I once had a master that would listen to the radio a lot," she said smiling, "this Earth tune played a lot and I enjoy humming to its melody." Richard couldn't help but stare at her. He smiled, even her humming sounded angelic. "The Paramore makes great Earth tunes, do you agree?" she said turning to him. He nodded at her, still smiling. After about 5 minutes Richard parked the car in front of an old building that's labeled **CANDY SHOP. **She arched her eyebrow questioningly as he told her to stay there. Richard walked into the store and looked around. _"Okay, marshmallows.. sour patch kids.. Swedish fish.. no.. no.. no.." _Dick thought to himself. He grinned when he looked by the counter and found a large clear bag filled with pink and blue cotton candy. He grabbed it and looked around the store some more. After 4 minutes of browsing he went to the counter to go pay. He looked over the person running the cash register. It was a tall fair-skinned girl with shoulder length bleach blonde hair and brown eyes that were covered in tick dark eye liner. Her face was caked in orange foundation that didn't match the rest of her skin. She straightened up as soon as he eyes landed on Dick. She looked him up and down and bit her lip. "How may I be of service to you?" she looked him in the eyes and batted her eye lashes. He guessed she was trying to sound seductive but he really couldn't tell since it sounded more like she had something in her throat. He set down the cotton candy on the counter and smiled at her innocently. "Yeah, one bag of cotton candy for my beautiful girlfriend." the girl's bit her lip, and looked up. She looked back down at him and grinned and leaned closer to him. "Baby, how did you know cotton candy was my favorite?" Richard couldn't help but laugh and point out the window towards his car. "In the passenger seat, look." he ordered the girl. He saw jealousy sparkle in the girls eyes as she squinted them trying to look into the barley tinted car windows. She turned back to him, disgust smeared all over her face. "I can do SO much better than her. Bet she can't even last more than 10 second. Where's the fun in that? They didn't call me Twisty Sally for nothing." she winked at him. He looked at the woman in shock as a blush swept on his face. Richard began to feel angry now. He pointed at the woman. "I'll have you know, I haven't once done anything with her. I respect her and wouldn't pressure her into anything she doesn't want to do." he crossed his arms. "Now, if you could checkout that bag of cotton candy so I can _leave_ that would be great." The clerk scanned the bag in silence. She seemed pretty shock by his response. She stared at him while he left the store. He didn't know why he called Starfire his girlfriend.. but he did... the words fit so right. Starfire, Richard's girlfriend. Robin's girlfriend. His Star. He liked it. He got into the car and watched with amusement as her eyes widened in surprise. He handed her the bag and started the car. He sped towards the house. "It's for you." he laughed. She opened the bag and tore off a piece. He had gotten the bag of cotton candy for her in hopes she would remember the time on the Ferris wheel. She had tried cotton candy for the first time while watching fireworks. He heard her sigh. "Thank you, Richard. This means more to me than you know. Would you like to share the candy of cotton?" she held out that bag to him while he grabbed some. The way she said his name reminded him of the way his mother use to say it. It sounds so right. He gave his thanks and continued to drive. When they arrived back at the mansion around 6:55 they were met with a scolding butler. Alfred told her to wait upstairs for dinner. But before she left she gave Richard a quick hug and went up the stairs. He turned his back to her and stared dreamily off into space and walked into the living room. A minute later there was a knock on the door. Alfred walked to the door and greeted the guests. "The Teen Titans, great to see you all again." Cyborg emerged first from the door. "Yo! Alfred! Great to see ya!" The rest of the Titans followed after him. "Hey dude! Where's Rich?" Beast Boy asked. Richard began walking towards the door when he heard KF snort. "This mansion seems to get bigger, great! More places to run!" Richard walked up to them with a grin on his face. "Hey! Sorry, I was uh...busy." He rubbed the back of his neck. All the Titans stared at him suspiciously, except KF and Beast Boy who stared at everyone in confusion. Jinx raised an eyebrow at him while Raven spoke. "You seem to be a lot better then when we last saw you. Maybe even happy." Richard couldn't help the grin the grew bigger on his face. Raven squinted her eyes at him and looked around the mansion. Something seemed to click in Beast Boy's mind as he elbowed Richard on the arm. "Ooh man! Come on! What is it that you aren't telling us?" Beast Boy's voice was full of suspicion. Richard laughed silently at all the people who were staring at him, trying to figure out what was going on. But at that moment, it wasn't the time. So he said simply, with a grin still on his face, "You'll see soon enough..."


	8. Chapter 8

disclaimer: I wish I do but I don't own Teen Titans ;-; enjoy :D

by the way if any of you have any tips on how I can improve my writing, I would love to hear them! Like Krikanalo did!(:

prepare for some fluff :3

* * *

Richard's breath started quickening. It had been almost an hour since the Teen Titans arrived and they were all now seated for dinner in the dining room. Well, almost everyone. Alfred had excused himself from the room a couple of minutes ago, only Dick and Bruce knew why he left. Richard looked around the room nervously, scoring a couple confused looks from the team. Kid Flash, who sat next to him, raised an eyebrow.

"Dick, you okay?" Kid Flash put a hand on Richard's shoulder. He nodded quickly in response. KF slide his hand down back to his side and gave him a questioning look but didn't press on. Alfred stepped through the door and he froze.

"Hey Alfred! We waited to start the toast for you." Bumble Bee called out to him. Richard was glad Bumble Bee decided to come and visit him with the rest of the team. Her and Starfire got along perfectly. They did a whole bunch of girly things when they were together. Starfire would be ecstatic.

"The usual?" Jinx said. Aah, the usual toast. It was something the team came up with. It was cheesy, but it was spoken from their hearts. It was said every time they all had dinner together, for Starfire. Cyborg was the one who started it. And it seemed like only yesterday that they were all crying, saying short respects to Starfire. Everyone sat in silence after Jinx had spoke. Richard held his breath, hoping someone would break the silence before he went mad.

"Yes.. the usual toast.." Bruce spoke up with a stone cold face. Cyborg scooted out his chair and stood up. Richard stared at him with glazed eyes. Cyborg looked to him and nodded. He looked around the room.

"About 4 years ago we lost one of the most important people in _all _our lives," Cyborg took in a deep breath. "She was family to us, she brought smiles on all our faces, and was always there for us." Raven scooted out her chair and stood up. She looked at the table with an unreadable expression.

"Without her these past few years, it feels as though something is missing, not a day passes by without thinking about her." Raven's voice was quiet. She looked to Richard with wide eyes.

_I sense something familiar.._ Raven's voice echoed through Richard's mind. He shook his head and turned to Beast Boy as he scooted out his chair and stood. Dick bit his lip as he saw tears stream down the Changeling's face.

"She is missed more than she'll ever know, and if she could hear us, we all want her to know that she is loved and missed and would do anything to bring her back to us." Beast Boy wiped his face and gave a small, sad smile. Richard held his breath. He felt like he was going to break down right there. He knew Starfire was outside waiting to come in. That thought made him want to cry. She was so close. He wanted to scream at everyone, telling them she was alive. But he knew he couldn't. She would tell them when she was ready. He felt something trickling down his cheeks. He was surprised when he wiped his hand over his face and discovered that they were tears. Richard scooted out his chair and stood up.

"She was everything to me, to us, our greatest-" Richard choked on his own words. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. "Our greatest friend.." With another deep breath he continued. "To _Starfire._" Richard bit his lip as he tried to hold down a sob. It was agonizing, just sitting there waiting for her to enter the room. He felt more tears trickle down his chin. But these weren't tears of sadness, but of joy. She was alive. She was here. She was in the other room, waiting to enter and surprise everyone. Richard picked up his cup and held it out, the others copied.

"To Starfire" everyone chimed in, clinking their cups. Everyone began to sit back down, some wiping their faces and others with pained expressions.

_Dick, what is going on? I sense a familiar presence I have ever since I stepped into this house. You're also acting.. strange.. I know that you know what's going on. _Raven's monotone voice broke into Richard's mind. He really hoped Starfire would come in soon, before Raven beat the crap out of him to figure out what was happening.

Richard froze as he heard a soft voice ring out through the dining room.

"Friends, I have missed you too." he turned to see Starfire. A grin spread across her face that was covered in tears.

Everyone turned to face her. Jaws dropped and faces paled as they took in the sight in front of them. Alfred and Bruce looked at each other and smiled as the heroes rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Richard stared at her dreamily, praising her beauty. He jumped a little at Beast Boys voice.

"What kind of mean prank is this?" Beast Boy whispered. Richard grinned as Starfire crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Friend Beast Boy, I am not the 'prank' you speak of." She poked herself on her arm. "I am the real Starfire and not a hologram." She exclaimed smiling. Richard saw Beast Boy go an even lighter shade of green. He looked to Kid Flash, who was staring at Starfire with wide eyes and his jaw dropped. He looked back as Cyborg stood up and walked over to Starfire slowly.

"Star...Starfire?" the disbelief in Cyborg's voice ran clear as she looked at him with tear filled eyes.

"Yes friend Cyborg, it is I." everything happened in a flash. One moment Cyborg was standing there looking at Starfire with wide eyes and the next moment he was strangling her in a bone crushing hug. After what seemed like forever he released her, keeping an arm around her shoulder as tears spilled from his human eye.

"Star! It's really Starfire! Yo this isn't a joke!" Cyborg smiled at everyone at the dining table. In a matter of 5 seconds, everyone was out of their seats embracing her. Richard couldn't help but grin when Starfire had to coax BB into believing she was real and when a light exploded on the wall as Raven broke her embrace from Starfire. His grin dropped as he saw Raven move away as he walked up to Starfire. As they locked eyes, he could of sworn he saw fire blazing in her eye sockets.

"You did not tell me you were Robin!" tears began to run down her face like a fountain. "That was not nice, I demand to know why you did not tell me who you really were." Richard stared at her with dreamy eyes again as he reached out for her.

"_Star_," he said smiling. "I just wanted to wait till the right time." He pulled her onto him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held tighter. He could feel hot tears fall onto his neck. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. He wanted this for so long. He took in a deep breath of her scent and laid his head on her shoulder.

Richard leaned into her ear and whispered loud enough so only she could hear "Star, you have no idea how much I missed you." He kissed the side of her head and let go of her, keeping one hand on the small of her back. He looked at her with happy eyes as she spoke again.

"Once we are done with the food, may we watch movies in the living room?"

* * *

That night everyone had spent the last couple hours catching up with Starfire. It took almost an hour to get everyone to stop crying and another hour to calm Raven down so objects around her would stop exploding. After dinner they watched a numerous amount of movies and ate piles of junk food. During that time Richard and Starfire couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of each other. They blushed like mad when they looked at each other at the same time. He couldn't wait to tell her how he really feels about her. He was terrified of rejection.. but she had to know. Richard's train of thought was broken off when he heard a quiet whimper. His eyes snapped open. He looked up, confused. He didn't remember falling asleep. He felt something shift on his lap and realized Starfire was sitting on top of him. He blushed crimson red for a moment before he realized Starfire was crying. He saw her trying to get up and he grabbed her wrists to stop her.

"Starfire, whats wrong?!" his voice was full of panic.

"I am sorry Richard, I did not mean to wake you." She tried twisting her arm out of his grip when he sat up and pulled her onto his lap.

"Starfire, what's wrong?" he ran his fingers back and forth on her arm. He looked at her with concern when she looked down at her lap.

"Robin, I cannot believe this happening. I feel as though I am going to wake up any moment and all of this will be gone. The Teen Titans will be gone, Bruce and Alfred will be gone.. you.. will be gone." She shuddered. "I cannot take losing you all again. I have to wake up before I become too attached to this dream." she sniffled as she tried pinching herself. Richard grabbed her arm to stop her. His heart stopped when he saw marks covering the inner side of her arm. The moon light had shined directly on them.

She didn't.

He tried his best to become better again for her. Went to counseling, took medication for his depression and eating disorder etc. One of the very things he tried his best to stop at, for Starfire.. she did to herself. Richard felt like his heart was going to explode. He felt concern, betrayal and anger course through his veins as she snapped back her arm.

"Star... I can tell which injuries were made by others... and which we're done by the person themselves.." he could hear the anger in his voice as he spoke low. The cuts on her wrists looked only a few days old. He wondered why he didn't see them before.

Starfire began to sob. "Robin-" she choked on a sob. "I could not help m-myself I was convinced that abuse was what I needed," she started rubbing her eyes. "I was so scared. The only reason I am still h-here today is because I have held onto the h-h-hope that I might s-see all of you, my friends, someday." she grabbed a wrists to try and cover up the scars.

_Oh, Starfire. Why did this happen to you? _Richard pulled her closer to him and he felt her begin to shake. He started whispering comforting words into her ear such as, "I'm here", "I'll protect you", "We aren't leaving you", etc. He felt her relax in his arms after a while and her crying ceased. He grabbed both of her wrists and looked at them. He leaned down and kissed the scars that covered her skin.

Richard's voice dropped to a whisper, "I still think you're beautiful and I don't ever wanna lose my best friend." He looked up into her eyes and gave her a smile. He saw a twinkle in her eyes as she smiled back, let out a huff and began to speak.

"Robin..?" he looked at her curiously and tilted his head.

"Yeah?" She bit her lip and looked down. She moved off his lap and sat in front of him. He looked her up and down. She was still in her dress but her armor was off, along with her shoes. She had a bit of a bed head which Richard thought was adorable.

"Robin, the night I was taken, I was planning on telling you something." She grabbed both of his hands and held them. "Robin, you are my best friend. I spent the last few years dreaming of finally saying this to you. I feared the fact that I would never be able to do this. But here we are now. I understand if you do not feel the same way, but I still wish for you to know." She looked at him directly in the eyes. Richard's heart began to beat faster as he stared at her. He had no idea what she was going to say next and honestly he was scared to find out. Nothing in the world could prepare him for the words she spoke next.

"Robin, I love you."

Richards jaw dropped and his eyes widened. The girl he was in love with just told him that he loved him. He felt his heart leap with joy and his stomach explode with butterflies. No holding back now. He reached out and began to stroke her cheek.

"Starfire, I love you too."

He felt a wave of relief flood over him. He had finally said it. And the feeling was mutual. Starfire's eyes widened in shock and Richard laughed at her reaction. She wasn't expecting a love confession either. He rubbed his thumb on her cheek as he continued.

"I was scared to tell you, but ever since I lost you.. I was so angry at myself for never telling you how I really feel. Now that I have you back, I'm not taking any chances." they stared into each others eyes. Starfire's eyes shone with happiness as a light blush spread all over her cheeks. Richard felt a blush creep on his face as well as his blue eyes stared into hers, getting lost within them.

_It's now or never._ Richard thought to himself. He would prefer now.

Richard leaned his face closer to hers and began to slowly close his eyes. He stopped a few centimeters away from her lips. He waited patiently to see if she wanted to do this. He was taken by surprise when he felt her lips press against his. He felt a sudden burst of happiness. He was so happy he honestly didn't know how to respond to his emotions. He wondered if Starfire felt the same. He felt her move onto his lap and snake her arms around his neck. He hesitantly moved his arms down and grabbed her waist. She nibbled on his bottom lip and he opened his mouth slightly in surprise at her action. He felt shock run through him as he felt her tongue slip inside his mouth and her hand grab a fistful of his hair. After that, everything went by in a blur.

* * *

"Robin? Please wake up. Our friends are here." Richard's eyes snapped open as he heard Starfire's voice and he sat up. He stretched out his arms and looked around in confusion when he heard a couple of snickers. He looked down to realize he wasn't wearing a shirt. He felt his face go hot from embarrassment and from the memory of lasts nights actions. Let's just say, it got quiet intense between them. Richard ended up loosing his shirt and Starfire's dress hiked up pretty far. He leaned onto the arm of the couch and looked to Starfire. She appeared to look normal, just a bit of bed head. No evidence of last night was written all over her like it was on him. He saw Bumble Bee walk into the living room holding two plates.

"Hey uh sorry but we kinda ate without you. You both looked.. comfortable so we let you sleep some more. Took a lot of convincing for Alfred for him to finally let ya sleep in." She handed Richard and Starfire a plate. "Eat up." On their plates were scrambled eggs, 4 pancakes, and a slice of ham. The only difference between the two was that one was covered in mustard. Richard nodded his thanks to Bee and they both began eating. During this time Beast Boy tried convincing everyone to try tofu, while Cyborg.. loudly protested. Richard grinned at his friends. It was like being back at the tower again. He really missed living there. Richard finished off his food and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch.

_So, how long have you known? _Richard heard Raven's monotone voice speak in his head. He turned to where she was sitting, the opposite side of the room sitting on a couch wrapped in a gray blanket.

_Known what? _He smiled at her innocently and she rolled her eyes.

_Starfire. How did you find her? _She tilted her head at him.

Richard took a deep breath. _I was going to a meeting a couple of hours away from Gotham for Bruce. I was suppose to meet up with this Ryan guy and talk about business and stuff. The guy was a straight up creep. I swear.. If I ever see him again... _Richard clenched his fists and grind-ed his teeth together.

_Dick, _Raven looked at him sternly.

_What? Oh yeah, sorry._ Richard shook his head. _Well long story short, Star was a maid for this guy. I thought I was going crazy and almost had a panic attack as soon as she opened the door. I couldn't let her get away though. I had to buy her from him... I called Alfred and he drove there and picked her up the next day. She spent the last couple days healing and recharging in the sun._

_Healing? _Raven raised an eyebrow at him. Dick bit his lip, unsure if he should tell her. He sighed.

_Raven, she was abused. _He saw her face go blank and he shook his head.

_ None of her.._ _owners.._ He grimaced at the word,_ Ever let her charge in the sun.. You should have seen her, Raven... she looked a mess... Her_ _health has improved a lot over the last couple days.. but I am worried for her. _He looked her in the eyes with a pained look plastered on his face. _She has cuts on her wrists.. they are recent.. and they were done by herself. Oh, god. Raven, I'm so scared. I don't want to lose her again._ He could hear the panic in his mind and he winced quietly. Raven's mouth slightly opened in surprise and she closed her eyes.

_Dick.. she'll get through this. We'll get through this. She didn't have us before, but she has us now. I know it might be hard.. but you have to be strong for her. We all do. We'll figure this out. Trust me. _Raven smiled at him and Richard looked at her with hope. He nodded and looked back at Starfire who was setting her plate on the coffee table. He saw her and Cyborg exchange glances and Richard reached out and grabbed Starfire's hand. She smiled at him briefly and turned back towards everyone.

He flinched when he heard Starfire's words.

"I promised Cyborg I would tell you all what happened.."

Great. This story was going to be the death of him.

* * *

Starfire's voice rang through his ears.

_What happened while I was away? _Did he want to even answer that? Did any of them want to answer that? He looked around the room and saw that everyone froze. At least he wasn't the only one who didn't want to answer. Starfire tilted her head and looked at all of her friend's in confusion. KF was the first to break the silence.

"Err.. Starfire.." Wally rubbed the back of his neck. She looked at him with wide eyes. Wally shook his head at her.

"It wasn't good.. it really wasn't good." Jinx came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and then back at Starfire. Starfire looked at Jinx as she began talking.

"Starfire, it really wasn't good. Like Wally said. Things went bad. I'm not sure we should be the one explaining this.." she looked over at Cyborg. Cyborg nodded and cleared his throat.

"Well, like they said.. it really wasn't good, Star. I'll just tell some of what had happened... the rest.. it's not really up to me to share." He shrugged while Starfire nodded in response.

"You may tell me what you need to, friend Cyborg." Cyborg smiled at her and walked over to sit next to Bumble Bee.

"Well.. I don't know if you know this but.. Slade is dead-" there was a gasp from Starfire and her eyes widened.

"Dead? Slade has died? How? And when?" Starfire's mouth dropped open in surprise and she looked around at everyone. Everyone faces went blank and they avoided eye contact with her. She looked over to Robin who was looking down at his lap. She gave him a puzzled look and turned back to Cyborg.

"Star.. He.. died not too long after he told us you were dead." his eyes flickered to Richard and then back to Starfire. She lifted her eyebrow but didn't question it. "The team became a mess afterwards.. For reasons, Robin had to leave the Titans. He had to come back and live with Bruce for a while. Kid Flash and Jinx became part of our team. Bee is just visiting with us. KF and Jinx have been with us since you.. were gone. Once Dick is.. in a stable condition, he can come back and join the team. I was voted leader for the time being." he shrugged. "Not much has changed.. Without Slade there the crime has gone down a lot. We have maybe a handful of calls every week. We have a couple new honorary Titan here and there. I'm pretty sure y'all would get along perfectly!" Cyborg grinned. "We're gonna have a big ol' surprise party for the Teen Titans when we get back for ya. The Titans are gonna freak!" Beast Boy howled in agreement.

"Dude! The party is gonna be awesome! Oh, yeah, Star! We haven't actually.. touched your room.. so it's the exact same way you left it.." Beast Boy fiddled his thumbs awkwardly. His ears perked up and he grinned at Starfire. "Silkie is sure gonna love seeing you, Star!" Starfire gasped in surprised and her face lit up.

"Oh, glorious! I have missed my little Bumgorf!" Starfire clasped her hands together and giggled.

Richard looked over at her with a pale face and smiled. What would Starfire say once she finds out all of what happened? He wasn't sure he could be the one to tell her. What was he going to do? Look her in the eyes and say, _Oh hey, Starfire. I killed Slade and became emotionally unstable and tried to kill myself numerous amount of times and the team nearly broke up because of some actions I made _? It just was not that simple. Richard groaned and put his head in his hands. He felt a hand tug on his arm lightly.

"Robin? Are you damaged?" concern edged Starfire's voice. He laughed quietly.

"Yeah, Star. I'm fine. Just tired." Starfire bit her lips and released his arm. She reached over behind him and rubbed his bare back. He shivered at her warm touch but then began to relax.

_I know what you're thinking. _Richard shrugged as Raven entered is mind once again. _I'll tell her. I know how difficult it would be for you. You don't need to worry.. I know Star will understand. _Richard lifted his head and looked at Raven.

_Thank you so much, Rachel. _Raven smiled at him and he dipped his head back down into his hands.

"So," Bee said slowly, "Now that Starfire is back.. where do we go from here?" Richard looked up and eyed her questionably. Bee raised her hands in defense. "I mean, does she come back to the tower? Does she become a super hero again? Does Robin come back? Are Jinx and KF gonna stay?" she gazed around the room. Beast Boy scoffed at her.

"Of course Starfire is gonna come back to the tower with us!" he beamed happily. His ears began to droop down and he looked at Starfire. "You are.. right?" Starfire looked at him with disbelief and stood up. She walked over to Beast Boy and gave him one of her famous bone-crushing hugs.

"Beast Boy! Of course I shall join you and our friends and return home! I cannot wait to eat the slices of the cheese, do the painting of the nails with Raven, and so forth!" she dropped Beast Boy to the ground and he smiled widely at her.

"Yay." Raven said emotionless. Starfire giggled and wrapped her arm around Beast Boy's shoulders.

"We should announce Jump City of my return when we are home, yes?" Starfire smiled.

"Aww yeah!" Cyborg jumped up and stood next to Starfire. "Good thing you're back! You can help us kick KF's sorry butt at stank ball!" Kid Flash rolled his eyes.

"And," Bumble Bee chimed in, "It wouldn't kill for a girl's night out, would it?" Starfire squealed happily and flew over and gave Bee a big hug.

"Oh, friends! I have missed you all so much! It brings the warmness to my heart to be here will all of you!" Starfire let go of Bee and wiped her eyes. Cyborg came up behind her and patted her back.

"It means a lot to us too, to have you back." Cyborg smiled brightly at her.

"Yeah! Maybe you can convince Cy to try some of my delicious Tofu!" Beast Boy wiggled his eyebrows at her. Cyborg turned to Beast Boy and looked at him with disgust.

"No way am I eating any of that stuff, grass stain!"

"You metal butt-" Jinx cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. Cyborg and Beast Boy stopped their bickering and everyone looked at her. She blushed at all the eyes staring at her.

"Uh.. well Bumble Bee did ask a question I couldn't help but think about.." she turned towards Richard. "So.. are you coming back to the team?" Everyone turned to face Robin.

"When he's ready." a voice called out behind them. Everyone looked to see Bruce standing in the doorway. "He has a couple more Dr appointments, therapist meetings and so forth. I expect that you will help him in training.. He's cut down on it a lot, but it shouldn't be a problem." Richard stared at him in disbelief.

"Bruce... Dad.. You mean it? I can go?" Bruce shrugged his shoulders.

"You basically went back to being your old self as soon as Starfire arrived.. A couple of kinks we could work out. We can have you back at the tower in 2 weeks. If.. you want." Richard's mouth opened slightly as he looked at the offer before him. He couldn't believe this was happening. He felt like he was going to explode, from happiness and disbelief.

"Of course." Richard replied with a grin.

"Boo ya!"

"Woo!"

"Glorious!"

"Does this mean we can't call you ..Dick? _*smack* _Ah, Jinx!"

"Yay."

"But," Bruce cut in on their victory cheers. Everyone went pale as they waited for him to continue. "I expect you to keep an eye out.. for both of them. Medical treatment, behavior issues.. you know the drill. I want weekly updates on how they are both doing." he eyed richard and Starfire carefully. "Until I'm one hundred and percent sure both are fine, I want to know everything that goes on."

"You probably already know." Richard grumbled. Bruce glared at him. Starfire floated over to Bruce while he and Richard continued to have a silent staring battle. Bruce grunted in surprised when e was lifted in the air by Starfire, who was hugging him.

"I cannot thank you enough! It brings me great joy that you are allowing Richard to return to our team! I shall thank you for your kindness by reciting the poem of gratitude. All 6,000 verses!" Starfire beamed happily. Everyone groaned as she set down Bruce. Bruce took in a deep breath and steadied himself. He chuckled and patted Starfire on the shoulder.

"Starfire, it's alright. You don't have to. Lunch is almost ready. You guys should finish your chatting soon." He smiled at Starfire as he walked out of the room.

Starfire looked at her friends and smiled. It was good to be back.


	9. Chapter 9

AHA i am alive. okay. I am REALLY sorry for not updating, i have been very busy lately. I should inform you that this story is ending soon. But I will be making more stories, I have a TON in mind. :D i will post a couple oneshots until this and Cabin For A Week are done, then I will begin in a new story.

Oh by the way, if you have not noticed, I made Robin a _very _emotional character in this story. There are not too many stories out there where Dick is super emotional, so I decided to add one more.

Also, you guys should check out my friend Abby's page, **starprincess313.**

okie let us begin. c:

**Here is a song to listen to while reading this: **When You Can't Sleep At Night -Of Mice & Men

* * *

Starfire sat frozen in front of Raven. Her face paled and her stomach churned as Raven explained in full detail, fully detail only because Starfire threatened to force her into a pink dress, about that happened to Robin and the team while she was away.

She felt an unbearable amount of guilt wash over her. It was all her fault. He tortured himself for years, and it was all her fault.

She felt her stomach drop as Raven told her how Robin became obsessive and dark, like he did while under serious pressure and working on a case. But this time, Starfire was not there to help him in that state, which made things worse. She felt her insides grow hot as Raven told her how Robin's eating habits changed drastically, his sleeping schedule off the rocket and how fresh slit wounds would appear on his body the next morning. They all tried their best to take care of him, but it was out of their hands. He refused to talk to Raven or let her in his mind. He brushed off the cat affection Beast Boy tried to comfort him with. He bit his lip, causing it to bleed so he could block the food Cyborg tried to force feed him. He shut out everyone.

The team couldn't handle him anymore. They were dealing with their own grieving and the ex leader's attitude made things much more agonizing. It took a couple of years for him to finally open up, to deal with his feelings. He started allowing the affection and support his fellow Titans were trying to bestow upon him. Cyborg made the offer of Robin coming back to the Titans after year two of Starfire's 'death' when he was mentally able to. Cyborg even promised him the lead of the Titans as soon as he was ready.

Yes, Cyborg did want to be leader.

But not like this.

Never like this. It felt wrong, unnatural. He felt like he was stealing it away from Robin and he decided Robin already had enough taken away from him.

Starfire felt tears collide in her eye sockets along with bile and panic rising up her throat when Raven cautiously told her about the many times Richard had to try and take his own life.

She felt shock run through her as Raven flatly told her Dick was responsible for Slade's death.

She was not mad, only worried. Deep down inside, she felt satisfaction brim. She would never admit out loud that his death brought her some comfort.  
She felt guilt overwhelm her knowing she was the reason for Dick's down fall. It was even worse to realize he was still in too much of wreck to even tell her himself.

She understood why he couldn't, it just was too much.

Starfire quietly stood up from Raven and walked out of the living room where she explained everything while everyone was outside in the gardens.

She walked through the corridor, unsure where she was going. Her mind was filled to the brim. She felt as though she would be sick.  
She chokes back a sob as she thought of all the self harm Robin did to himself.

Yes, it was _extremely _out of character for him. He _loathed _being weak, and hated when it showed, yet he allowed his weakness to show. Raven explained that even the strongest people break. Sometimes it is just to much and everything unfolds.

Starfire brought up her right hand to her mouth and muffled her cries. Tears began to pour from her eyes.

Why could she have not broken out of slavery sooner? Surely, if she would have built up her strength she could have made it out.

Coincidentally, Starfire found herself at the two large glass doors than entered out into the garden. She watched from the window as her friends sat around the garden, laughing at something she did not know.

Richard's head turned at the moment her eyes drifted to his figure. When they locked eyes, his face fell.

She didn't even bother to wipe her tears away. They would not stop. She closed her eyes and shook her head softly. With a shaky breath, she turned around. She continued walking until a pained voice stopped her.

"Star.."

She froze. She couldn't face him. Too much pain.

"Robin, I cannot speak with you right now." she whispered softly.

"Please, Star.."

"No. It is too painful."

"Just, hear me out-"

She snapped. She turned around sharply to face him. His eyes were full of pain and sorrow. She reached out to grab his wrist which was covered by a black sweater.

She sucked in a breath when she rolled up the sleeves. Scars littered his arms all the way up to the crease of his elbow.

Dick shut his eyes and sighed. "It would be better if you didn't see this." he said softly. Angry tears began to spill from Starfire's eyes.

"_X'Hal_! Richard! You did not deserve this torture! There are other things to take your anger out on!"

"I couldn't be a hero anymore, no more training, there was nothing-"

"There is _always _something! I know I have done the same thing and I may be hypocritical but it pains me to see this! Why could you not have-"

"Starfire, you don't _get _it! I thought you were dead! I saw damn body parts, hair and blood, and was convinced it was _you_! You didn't see! My brain was seared with these images! I've had nightmares for the past four years every night with those haunting images. I haven't had a nights rest until we slept together on the couch. I'm a _wreck _without you! The only damn reason I'm alive is because I've been watched every single second of every single day since you've been gone!" he exasperated.

They stood there, staring into each other's eyes. Silence over took them.  
Each were too scared to speak.

"I am sorry." Starfire whispered, after what seemed like forever from the eerie silence.

Dick's face softened tremendously. "You have no reason to be sorry." he took a couple steps closer to her until she was pressed up into his chest.

"I should have been stronger for you. You're right. There were other things I could have turned to. I was not thinking clearly. Starfire.. please, _please _forgive me." he stroked her cheek softly, keeping eye contact.

She took in a deep breath and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It seems as though we are both lost without each other. I forgive you. I am sorry for being hypocritical. It was just unsettling." she leaned her head on to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and ran his fingers through her hair in a soothing motion.

"Again, you have nothing to be sorry for. But since you want forgiveness, and I can't deny you anything-" he joked. Starfire giggled. "-you're forgiven." he pulled her tighter to himself and buried his face in her hair. He sighed as he breathed in her sweet scent.

"I love you, Robin." Starfire whispered.

"I love you, Star. So much." Richard pulled back and placed his lips softly on hers. She responded and melted against his chest. His hand ran up and down her back as the other was still set around her waist. They both pulled back, their lips still hovering over each other's.

"Promise me," Richard said, rubbing his hand up and down her arm that wasn't pressed against his chest. "Promise me you will not ever leave me again. Ever."

"I would not, even if I wanted to." and she pulled him into another kiss.

* * *

WELL THAT WAS INCREDIBLY SHORT. i seriously _loath_ when authors only post short chapters like this, and i really do not want to do it, but i want to give you guys _something. _I promise when i update again this will be longer.


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